scholarly journals The Spectrum of Density Perturbations in an Expanding Universe

1974 ◽  
Vol 63 ◽  
pp. 175-193
Author(s):  
Joseph Silk

Perhaps the most challenging problem confronting a cosmologist is to reconcile the observed large-scale structure of the Universe with the Friedmann-Lemaître cosmological models that have gained such widespread acceptance in recent years (cf. however the alternative viewpoint, as exemplified in this Symposium by Arp and others). In this review, I shall look anew at the spectrum of density inhomogeneities that survive decoupling of matter and radiation at z ~ 1000 and provide the primordial fluctuations that can eventually generate galaxies. A closely related matter, that of the associated fluctuations in the background radiation, is discussed elsewhere in this volume by Doroshkevich, Sunyaev and Zel'dovich.

1990 ◽  
Vol 68 (9) ◽  
pp. 799-807
Author(s):  
Joseph Silk

Ever since the epoch of the spontaneous breaking of grand unification symmetry between the nuclear and electromagnetic interactions, the universe has expanded under the imprint of a spectrum of density fluctuations that is generally considered to have originated in this phase transition. I will discuss various possibilities for the form of the primordial fluctuation spectrum, spanning the range of adiabatic fluctuations, isocurvature fluctuations, and cosmic strings. Growth of the seed fluctuations by gravitational instability generates the formation of large-scale structures, from the scale of galaxies to that of clusters and superclusters of galaxies. There are three areas of confrontation with observational cosmology that will be reviewed. The large-scale distribution of the galaxies, including the apparent voids, sheets and filaments, and the coherent peculiar velocity field on scales of several tens of megaparsecs, probe the primordial fluctuation spectrum on scales that are only mildly nonlinear. Even larger scales are probed by study of the anisotropy of the cosmic microwave background radiation, which provides a direct glimpse of the primordial fluctuations that existed about 106 years or so after the initial big bang singularity. Galaxy formation is the process by which the building blocks of the universe have formed, involving a complex interaction between hydrodynamical and dynamical processes in a collapsing gas cloud. Both by detection of forming galaxies in the most remote regions of the universe and by study of the fundamental morphological characteristics of galaxies, which provide a fossilized memory of their past, can one relate the origin of galaxies to the same primordial fluctuation spectrum that gave rise' to the large-scale structure of the universe.


1988 ◽  
Vol 130 ◽  
pp. 553-553
Author(s):  
Y.-Z. Liu ◽  
Z.-G. Deng

We have suggested a scenario of fractal turbulence which might explain the origin of galaxies and the observed large scale structure of the universe (Liu and Deng, 1987). Under the condition of the early universe, the cosmic fluid can be regarded as incompressible. If we assume that the density perturbations in the early universe are adiabatic and have the scale-free Zeldovich spectrum, we may obtain the spectrum of the velocity perturbations. Perturbations with scales less than horizon will undergo dissipative process by Thomson scattering. So, the cosmic fluid can be considered as a viscous fluid (Peebles, 1971). We can find the largest and smallest scale of the perturbations in the cosmic fluid by taking account of the Reynold's number on given scale and the scale of horizon. Using the present values of Hubble constant and the mean density of matter, we have found that on the scale of horizon the Reynold's number is just the order of 102. This result shows that perturbations with scale a little smaller than horizon may produce Karman vortices before recombination and the vortices might form fractal turbulence due to Thomson drag.


2007 ◽  
Vol 3 (T26B) ◽  
pp. 179-180
Author(s):  
Francesco Bertola ◽  
Sadanori Okamura ◽  
Virginia L. Trimble ◽  
Mark Birkinshaw ◽  
Françoise Combes ◽  
...  

Division VIII gathers astronomers engaged in the study of the visible and invisible matter in the Universe at large, from Local Group galaxies via distant galaxies and galaxy clusters to the large-scale structure of the Universe and the cosmic background radiation.


1995 ◽  
Vol 48 (6) ◽  
pp. 1083 ◽  
Author(s):  
PJ Quinn

N-body models running on supercomputers have been widely used to explore the development of structure in the expanding Universe. Recent results from the COBE satellite have provided a global normalisation of these models which now allows detailed comparisons to be drawn between observations and model predictions. Some predictions of the cold dark matter primordial perturbation spectrum are now shown to be consistent with surveys of galaxy redshifts.


2008 ◽  
Vol 4 (T27A) ◽  
pp. 283-285
Author(s):  
Sadanori Okamura ◽  
Elaine Sadler ◽  
Francesco Bertola ◽  
Mark Birkinshaw ◽  
Françoise Combes ◽  
...  

Division VIII provides a focus for astronomers studying a wide range of problems related to galaxies and cosmology. Objects of the study include individual galaxies, groups and clusters of galaxies, large scale structure, comic microwave background radiation and the universe itself. Approaches are diverse from observational one to theoretical one including computer simulations.


Author(s):  
P. J. E. Peebles

An instant landmark on its publication, this book remains the essential introduction to this vital area of research. Written by one of the world's most esteemed theoretical cosmologists, it provides an invaluable historical introduction to the subject, and an enduring overview of key methods, statistical measures, and techniques for dealing with cosmic evolution. With characteristic clarity and insight, the author focuses on the largest known structures — galaxy clusters — weighing the empirical evidence of the nature of clustering and the theories of how it evolves in an expanding universe. A must-have reference for students and researchers alike, this edition introduces a new generation of readers to a classic text in modern cosmology.


Author(s):  
P. J. E. Peebles

This chapter traces the history of the development of ideas on the large-scale structure of the universe. Modern discussions of the nature of the large-scale matter distribution can be traced back to three central ideas. In 1917, Albert Einstein argued that a closed homogeneous world model fits very well into general relativity theory and the requirements of Mach's principle. In 1926, Edwin Hubble showed that the large-scale distribution of galaxies is close to uniform with no indication of an edge or boundary. In 1927, Georges Lemaître showed that the uniform distribution of galaxies fits very well with the pattern of galaxy redshifts. The chapter then assesses several questions. The first is whether the universe really is homogeneous. Could the homogeneity of the universe have been deduced ahead of time from general principles? Or might it be a useful guide to new principles? It also asks how clustering evolves in an expanding universe, what its origin is, and what this reveals about the nature of the universe.


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