Cosmic Structure Formation at Low and High Redshifts

Abstract

The currently standard theory of cosmic structure formation posits that the present-day clumpy appearance of the universe developed through gravitational amplification of the matter density fluctuations that are generated in the very early universe. The energy content of the univese and the basic statistics of the initial density field have been determined with a reasonable accuracy from recent observations of the cosmic microwave background, large-scale structure, and distant supernovae. It has become possible to make accurate predictions from the standard model. Cosmology is now at the stage where we can rigourously test the model against various observations of large- and small-scale structure. We review the latest observations and the recent progress in the theory of structure formation at low and high redshifts. Two promising methods to probe large-scale matter distribution are introduced and the future prospects are discussed. Results from state-of-the-art cosmological simulations are also presented.