The Distribution of the Galaxies
Gravitational Clustering in Cosmology

This volume, first published in 2000, examines one of the leading problems in astronomy today - how galaxies cluster in our Universe.

William C. Saslaw (Author)

9780521050920, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 4 February 2008

524 pages, 114 b/w illus. 1 table
24.2 x 17 x 2.8 cm, 0.826 kg

'… can be highly recommended to researchers at graduate student level and above as a near-definitive treatise on the application of distribution functions to cosmology.' J. Loveday, Contemporary Physics

This topical volume examines one of the leading problems in astronomy - how galaxies cluster in our Universe. This book, first published in 2000, describes gravitational theory, computer simulations and observations related to galaxy distribution functions. It embeds distribution functions in a broader astronomical context, including other exciting contemporary topics such as correlation functions, fractals, bound clusters, topology, percolation and minimal spanning trees. Key results are derived and the necessary gravitational physics provided to ensure the book is self-contained. Throughout the book, theory, computer simulation and observation are carefully interwoven and critically compared. The book also shows how future observations can test the theoretical models for the evolution of galaxy clustering at early times in our Universe. This clear and authoritative volume is written at a level suitable for graduate students, and will be of key interest to astronomers, cosmologists, physicists and applied statisticians.

Prologue
Part I. Historical: 1. Cosmology myths and primitive notions
2. First qualitative physics: the Newton-Bentley exchange
3. Glimpses of structure
4. Number counts and distributions
5. Seeds of grand creation
6. Clusters versus correlations
7. The expanding search for homogeneity
Part II. Descriptions of Clustering: 8. Patterns and illusions
9. Percolation
10. Minimal spanning trees
11. Topology
12. Fractals
13. Bound clusters
14. Correlation functions
15. Distribution functions
Part III. Gravity and Correlation Functions: 16. The growth of correlations: I. A fluid description
17. The growth of correlations: II. A particle description
18. General correlation properties
19. Computer simulations
20. Simulations and observations of two-particle correlations
Part IV. Gravity and Distribution Functions: 21. General properties of distribution functions
22. Dynamics of distribution functions
23. Short review of basic thermodynamics
24. Thermodynamics and gravity
25. Thermodynamic formulation of the cosmological many-body problem
26. The functional form of b(n,T)
27. Derivation of the spatial distribution function
28. Properties of the spatial gravitational quasi-equilibrium distribution
29. The velocity distribution function
30. Evolution of the GQED
Part V. Computer Experiments for Distribution Functions: 31. Spatial distribution functions
32. Velocity distribution functions
Part VI. Observations of Distribution Functions: 33. Observed spatial distribution functions
34. Observed peculiar velocity distribution functions
35. Observed evolution of distribution functions
Part VII. Future Unfoldings: 36. Galaxy merging
37. Dark matter again
38. Initial states
39. Ultimate fates
40. Epilogue
Bibliography
Index.

Subject Areas: Astrophysics [PHVB]