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Statistics and geometry of cosmic voids

José Gaite

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We introduce new statistical methods for the study of cosmic voids, focusing on the statistics of largest size voids. We distinguish three different types of distributions of voids, namely, Poisson-like, lognormal-like and Pareto-like distributions. The last two distributions are connected with two types of fractal geometry of the matter distribution. Scaling voids with Pareto distribution appear in fractal distributions with box-counting dimension smaller than three (its maximum value), whereas the lognormal void distribution corresponds to multifractals with box-counting dimension equal to three. Moreover, voids of the former type persist in the continuum limit, namely, as the number density of observable objects grows, giving rise to lacunar fractals, whereas voids of the latter type disappear in the continuum limit, giving rise to non-lacunar (multi)fractals. We propose both lacunar and non-lacunar multifractal models of the cosmic web structure of the Universe. A non-lacunar multifractal model is supported by current galaxy surveys as well as cosmological N-body simulations. This model suggests, in particular, that small dark matter halos and, arguably, faint galaxies are present in cosmic voids.

Keywords

galaxy clusters

superclusters

cosmic web

PACS

98.65.Dx Superclusters; large-scale structure of the Universe (including voids, pancakes, great wall, etc.)

95.35.+d Dark matter (stellar, interstellar, galactic, and cosmological)

98.80.-k Cosmology

98.62.Gq Galactic halos

02.50.Ng Distribution theory and Monte Carlo studies

98.62.Ve Statistical and correlative studies of properties (luminosity and mass functions; mass-to-light ratio; Tully-Fisher relation, etc.)

Subjects

Computational physics

Gravitation and cosmology

Particle physics and field theory

Astrophysics and astroparticles

Dates

Issue 11 (November 2009)

Received 26 August 2009, accepted for publication 30 September 2009

Published 5 November 2009



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