38 research outputs found
The Zeldovich & Adhesion approximations, and applications to the local universe
The Zeldovich approximation (ZA) predicts the formation of a web of
singularities. While these singularities may only exist in the most formal
interpretation of the ZA, they provide a powerful tool for the analysis of
initial conditions. We present a novel method to find the skeleton of the
resulting cosmic web based on singularities in the primordial deformation
tensor and its higher order derivatives. We show that the A_3-lines predict the
formation of filaments in a two-dimensional model. We continue with
applications of the adhesion model to visualise structures in the local (z <
0.03) universe.Comment: 9 pages, 8 figures, Proceedings of IAU Symposium 308 "The Zeldovich
Universe: Genesis and Growth of the Cosmic Web", 23-28 June 2014, Tallinn,
Estoni
The Zeldovich approximation: key to understanding Cosmic Web complexity
We describe how the dynamics of cosmic structure formation defines the
intricate geometric structure of the spine of the cosmic web. The Zeldovich
approximation is used to model the backbone of the cosmic web in terms of its
singularity structure. The description by Arnold et al. (1982) in terms of
catastrophe theory forms the basis of our analysis.
This two-dimensional analysis involves a profound assessment of the
Lagrangian and Eulerian projections of the gravitationally evolving
four-dimensional phase-space manifold. It involves the identification of the
complete family of singularity classes, and the corresponding caustics that we
see emerging as structure in Eulerian space evolves. In particular, as it is
instrumental in outlining the spatial network of the cosmic web, we investigate
the nature of spatial connections between these singularities.
The major finding of our study is that all singularities are located on a set
of lines in Lagrangian space. All dynamical processes related to the caustics
are concentrated near these lines. We demonstrate and discuss extensively how
all 2D singularities are to be found on these lines. When mapping this spatial
pattern of lines to Eulerian space, we find a growing connectedness between
initially disjoint lines, resulting in a percolating network. In other words,
the lines form the blueprint for the global geometric evolution of the cosmic
web.Comment: 37 pages, 21 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA
Caustic Skeleton & Cosmic Web
We present a general formalism for identifying the caustic structure of an
evolving mass distribution in an arbitrary dimensional space. For the class of
Hamiltonian fluids the identification corresponds to the classification of
singularities in Lagrangian catastrophe theory. Based on this we develop a
theoretical framework for the formation of the cosmic web, and specifically
those aspects that characterize its unique nature: its complex topological
connectivity and multiscale spinal structure of sheetlike membranes, elongated
filaments and compact cluster nodes. The present work represents an extension
of the work by Arnol'd et al., who classified the caustics for the 1- and
2-dimensional Zel'dovich approximation. His seminal work established the role
of emerging singularities in the formation of nonlinear structures in the
universe. At the transition from the linear to nonlinear structure evolution,
the first complex features emerge at locations where different fluid elements
cross to establish multistream regions. The classification and characterization
of these mass element foldings can be encapsulated in caustic conditions on the
eigenvalue and eigenvector fields of the deformation tensor field. We introduce
an alternative and transparent proof for Lagrangian catastrophe theory, and
derive the caustic conditions for general Lagrangian fluids, with arbitrary
dynamics, including dissipative terms and vorticity. The new proof allows us to
describe the full 3-dimensional complexity of the gravitationally evolving
cosmic matter field. One of our key findings is the significance of the
eigenvector field of the deformation field for outlining the spatial structure
of the caustic skeleton. We consider the caustic conditions for the
3-dimensional Zel'dovich approximation, extending earlier work on those for 1-
and 2-dimensional fluids towards the full spatial richness of the cosmic web
The Zel'dovich approximation: key to understanding cosmic web complexity
This is the published version. This article has been accepted for publication in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society ©: 2013 Hidding et al. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.We describe how the dynamics of cosmic structure formation defines the intricate geometric structure of the spine of the cosmic web. The Zel'dovich approximation is used to model the backbone of the cosmic web in terms of its singularity structure. The description by Arnold et al. in terms of catastrophe theory forms the basis of our analysis. This two-dimensional analysis involves a profound assessment of the Lagrangian and Eulerian projections of the gravitationally evolving four-dimensional phase-space manifold. It involves the identification of the complete family of singularity classes, and the corresponding caustics that we see emerging as structure in Eulerian space evolves. In particular, as it is instrumental in outlining the spatial network of the cosmic web, we investigate the nature of spatial connections between these singularities. The major finding of our study is that all singularities are located on a set of lines in Lagrangian space. All dynamical processes related to the caustics are concentrated near these lines. We demonstrate and discuss extensively how all 2D singularities are to be found on these lines. When mapping this spatial pattern of lines to Eulerian space, we find a growing connectedness between initially disjoint lines, resulting in a percolating network. In other words, the lines form the blueprint for the global geometric evolution of the cosmic web
Quantum Radio Astronomy: Quantum Linear Solvers for Redundant Baseline Calibration
The computational requirements of future large scale radio telescopes are
expected to scale well beyond the capabilities of conventional digital
resources. Current and planned telescopes are generally limited in their
scientific potential by their ability to efficiently process the vast volumes
of generated data. To mitigate this problem, we investigate the viability of
emerging quantum computers for radio astronomy applications. In this a paper we
demonstrate the potential use of variational quantum linear solvers in Noisy
Intermediate Scale Quantum (NISQ) computers and combinatorial solvers in
quantum annealers for a radio astronomy calibration pipeline. While we
demonstrate that these approaches can lead to satisfying results when
integrated in calibration pipelines, we show that current restrictions of
quantum hardware limit their applicability and performance
The Cosmically Depressed: Life, Sociology and Identity of Voids
We review and discuss aspects of Cosmic Voids that form the background for
our Void Galaxy Survey (see accompanying paper by Stanonik et al.). Following a
sketch of the general characteristics of void formation and evolution, we
describe the influence of the environment on their development and structure
and the characteristic hierarchical buildup of the cosmic void population. In
order to be able to study the resulting tenuous void substructure and the
galaxies populating the interior of voids, we subsequently set out to describe
our parameter free tessellation-based watershed void finding technique. It
allows us to trace the outline, shape and size of voids in galaxy redshift
surveys. The application of this technique enables us to find galaxies in the
deepest troughs of the cosmic galaxy distribution, and has formed the basis of
our void galaxy program.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures, proceedings "Galaxies in Isolation" (May 2009,
Granada, Spain), eds. L. Verdes-Montenegro, ASP (this is a colour, extended
and combined version; accompanying paper to Stanonik et al., arXiv:0909.2869,
in same volume