The origin of `Great Walls'

Abstract

A new semi-analytical model that explains the formation and sizes of the `great walls' - the largest structures observed in the universe is suggested. Although the basis of the model is the Zel'dovich approximation it has been used in a new way very different from the previous studies. Instead of traditional approach that evaluates the nonlinear density field it has been utilized for identification of the regions in Lagrangian space that after the mapping to real or redshift space (depending on the kind of structure is studied) end up in the regions where shell-crossing occurs. The set of these regions in Lagrangian space form the progenitor of the structure and afterthe mapping it determines the pattern of the structure in real or redshift space. The particle trajectories have crossed in such regions and the mapping is no longer unique there. The progenitor after mapping makes only one stream in the multi-stream flow regions therefore it does not comprise all the mass. Nevertheless, it approximately retains the shape of the structure. The progenitor of the structure in real space is determined by the linear density field along with two non-Gaussian fields derived from the initial potential. Its shape in Eulerian space is alsoaffected by the displacement field. The progenitor of the structure in redshift space also depends on these fields but in addition it is strongly affected by two anisotropic fields that determine the pattern of great walls as well as their huge sizes. All the fields used in the mappingsare derived from the linear potential smoothed at the current scale of nonlinearity which isRnl = 2.7 h−1 Mpc for the adopted parameters of the ΛCDM universe normalized to σ8 = 0.8. The model predicts the existence of walls with sizes significantly greater than 500 h−1 Mpcthat may be found in sufficiently large redshift surveys.