No Arabic abstract
We calculated spatial correlation functions of galaxies, $xi(r)$, structure functions, $g(r)=1 +xi(r)$, gradient functions, $gamma(r)= d log g(r)/ d log r$, and fractal dimension functions, $D(r)= 3+gamma(r)$, using dark matter particles of the biased $Lambda$ cold dark matter (CDM) simulation, observed galaxies of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), and simulated galaxies of the Millennium and EAGLE simulations. We analysed how these functions describe fractal and biasing properties of the cosmic web. The correlation functions of the biased $Lambda$CDM model samples at small distances (particle and galaxy separations), $r le 2.25$~Mpc, describe the distribution of matter inside dark matter (DM) halos. In real and simulated galaxy samples, only the brightest galaxies in clusters are visible, and the transition from clusters to filaments occurs at a distance $r approx 0.8 - 1.5$~Mpc. Real and simulated galaxies of low luminosity, $M_r ge -19$, have almost identical correlation lengths and amplitudes, indicating that dwarf galaxies are satellites of brighter galaxies, and do not form a smooth population in voids. The combination of several physical processes (e.g. the formation of halos along the caustics of particle trajectories and the phase synchronisation of density perturbations on various scales) transforms the initial random density field to the current highly non-random density field. Galaxy formation is suppressed in voids, which increases the amplitudes of correlation functions and power spectra of galaxies, and increases the large-scale bias parameter. The combined evidence leads to the large-scale bias parameter of $L_star$ galaxies the value $b_star =1.85 pm 0.15$. We find $r_0(L_star) = 7.20 pm 0.19$ for the correlation length of $L_star$ galaxies.
Aims. Our goal is to find the relation between the two-point correlation functions (CFs) of projected and spatial density fields of galaxies in the context of the cosmic web. Methods. To investigate relations between spatial (3D) and projected (2D) CFs of galaxies we used density fields of two simulations: a $Lambda$-dominated cold dark matter (LCDM) model with known particle data, and the Millennium simulation with know data on simulated galaxies. We compare 3D and 2D correlation functions. In the 2D case, we use samples of various thickness to find the dependence of 2D CFs on the thickness of samples. We also compare 3D CFs in real and redshift space. Results. The dominant elements of the cosmic web are clusters and filaments, separated by voids filling most of the volume. In individual 2D sheets, the positions of clusters and filaments do not coincide. As a result, in projection, the clusters and filaments fill in 2D voids. This leads to a decrease in the amplitudes of CFs (and power spectra) in projection. For this reason, the amplitudes of 2D CFs are lower than the amplitudes of 3D correlation functions: the thicker the 2D sample, the greater the difference. Conclusions. Spatial CFs of galaxies contain valuable information about the geometrical properties of the cosmic web that cannot be found from projected CFs.
We present the integrated 3-point shear correlation function $izeta_{pm}$ -- a higher-order statistic of the cosmic shear field -- which can be directly estimated in wide-area weak lensing surveys without measuring the full 3-point shear correlation function, making this a practical and complementary tool to 2-point statistics for weak lensing cosmology. We define it as the 1-point aperture mass statistic $M_{mathrm{ap}}$ measured at different locations on the shear field correlated with the corresponding local 2-point shear correlation function $xi_{pm}$. Building upon existing work on the integrated bispectrum of the weak lensing convergence field, we present a theoretical framework for computing the integrated 3-point function in real space for any projected field within the flat-sky approximation and apply it to cosmic shear. Using analytical formulae for the non-linear matter power spectrum and bispectrum, we model $izeta_{pm}$ and validate it on N-body simulations within the uncertainties expected from the sixth year cosmic shear data of the Dark Energy Survey. We also explore the Fisher information content of $izeta_{pm}$ and perform a joint analysis with $xi_{pm}$ for two tomographic source redshift bins with realistic shape-noise to analyse its power in constraining cosmological parameters. We find that the joint analysis of $xi_{pm}$ and $izeta_{pm}$ has the potential to considerably improve parameter constraints from $xi_{pm}$ alone, and can be particularly useful in improving the figure of merit of the dynamical dark energy equation of state parameters from cosmic shear data.
The cosmic web is the largest scale manifestation of the anisotropic gravitational collapse of matter. It represents the transitional stage between linear and non-linear structures and contains easily accessible information about the early phases of structure formation processes. Here we investigate the characteristics and the time evolution of morphological components since. Our analysis involves the application of the NEXUS Multiscale Morphology Filter (MMF) technique, predominantly its NEXUS+ version, to high resolution and large volume cosmological simulations. We quantify the cosmic web components in terms of their mass and volume content, their density distribution and halo populations. We employ new analysis techniques to determine the spatial extent of filaments and sheets, like their total length and local width. This analysis identifies cluster and filaments as the most prominent components of the web. In contrast, while voids and sheets take most of the volume, they correspond to underdense environments and are devoid of group-sized and more massive haloes. At early times the cosmos is dominated by tenuous filaments and sheets, which, during subsequent evolution, merge together, such that the present day web is dominated by fewer, but much more massive, structures. The analysis of the mass transport between environments clearly shows how matter flows from voids into walls, and then via filaments into cluster regions, which form the nodes of the cosmic web. We also study the properties of individual filamentary branches, to find long, almost straight, filaments extending to distances larger than 100Mpc/h. These constitute the bridges between massive clusters, which seem to form along approximatively straight lines.
I review the nature of three-dimensional collapse in the Zeldovich approximation, how it relates to the underlying nature of the three-dimensional Lagrangian manifold and naturally gives rise to a hierarchical structure formation scenario that progresses through collapse from voids to pancakes, filaments and then halos. I then discuss how variations of the Zeldovich approximation (based on the gravitational or the velocity potential) have been used to define classifications of the cosmic large-scale structure into dynamically distinct parts. Finally, I turn to recent efforts to devise new approaches relying on tessellations of the Lagrangian manifold to follow the fine-grained dynamics of the dark matter fluid into the highly non-linear regime and both extract the maximum amount of information from existing simulations as well as devise new simulation techniques for cold collisionless dynamics.
We investigate the characteristics and the time evolution of the cosmic web from redshift, z=2, to present time, within the framework of the NEXUS+ algorithm. This necessitates the introduction of new analysis tools optimally suited to describe the very intricate and hierarchical pattern that is the cosmic web. In particular, we characterize filaments (walls) in terms of their linear (surface) mass density. This is very good in capturing the evolution of these structures. At early times the cosmos is dominated by tenuous filaments and sheets, which, during subsequent evolution, merge together, such that the present day web is dominated by fewer, but much more massive, structures. We also show that voids are more naturally described in terms of their boundaries and not their centres. We illustrate this for void density profiles, which, when expressed as a function of the distance from void boundary, show a universal profile in good qualitative agreement with the theoretical shell-crossing framework of expanding underdense regions.