Bisous model - detecting filamentary patterns in point processes

The cosmic web is a highly complex geometrical pattern, with galaxy clusters at the intersection of filaments and filaments at the intersection of walls. Identifying and describing the filamentary network is not a trivial task due to the overwhelming complexity of the structure, its connectivity and the intrinsic hierarchical nature. To detect and quantify galactic filaments we use the Bisous model, which is a marked point process built to model multi-dimensional patterns. The Bisous filament finder works directly with the galaxy distribution data and the model intrinsically takes into account the connectivity of the filamentary network. The Bisous model generates the visit map (the probability to find a filament at a given point) together with the filament orientation field. Using these two fields, we can extract filament spines from the data. Together with this paper we publish the computer code for the Bisous model that is made available in GitHub. The Bisous filament finder has been successfully used in several cosmological applications and further development of the model will allow to detect the filamentary network also in photometric redshift surveys, using the full redshift posterior. We also want to encourage the astro-statistical community to use the model and to connect it with all other existing methods for filamentary pattern detection and characterisation.Comment: 12 pages, 6 figures, accepted by Astronomy and Computin

The Friedmann-Lemaitre-Robertson-Walker Big Bang singularities are well behaved

We show that the Big Bang singularity of the Friedmann-Lemaitre-Robertson-Walker model does not raise major problems to General Relativity. We prove a theorem showing that the Einstein equation can be written in a non-singular form, which allows the extension of the spacetime before the Big Bang. The physical interpretation of the fields used is discussed. These results follow from our research on singular semi-Riemannian geometry and singular General Relativity.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figure

Filaments in observed and mock galaxy catalogues

Context. The main feature of the spatial large-scale galaxy distribution is an intricate network of galaxy filaments. Although many attempts have been made to quantify this network, there is no unique and satisfactory recipe for that yet. Aims. The present paper compares the filaments in the real data and in the numerical models, to see if our best models reproduce statistically the filamentary network of galaxies. Methods. We apply an object point process with interactions (the Bisous process) to trace and describe the filamentary network both in the observed samples (the 2dFGRS catalogue) and in the numerical models that have been prepared to mimic the data.We compare the networks. Results. We find that the properties of filaments in numerical models (mock samples) have a large variance. A few mock samples display filaments that resemble the observed filaments, but usually the model filaments are much shorter and do not form an extended network. Conclusions. We conclude that although we can build numerical models that are similar to observations in many respects, they may fail yet to explain the filamentary structure seen in the data. The Bisous-built filaments are a good test for such a structure.Comment: 13 pages, accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysic

An integrative approach based on probabilistic modelling and statistical inference for morpho-statistical characterization of astronomical data

This paper describes several applications in astronomy and cosmology that are addressed using probabilistic modelling and statistical inference

Lambda hyperonic effect on the normal driplines

A generalized mass formula is used to calculate the neutron and proton drip lines of normal and lambda hypernuclei treating non-strange and strange nuclei on the same footing. Calculations suggest existence of several bound hypernuclei whose normal cores are unbound. Addition of Lambda or, Lambda-Lambda hyperon(s) to a normal nucleus is found to cause shifts of the neutron and proton driplines from their conventional limits.Comment: 6 pages, 4 tables, 0 figur