Maret Einasto

Tartu Observatory · Cosmology

Multiple cluster systems, that is superclusters, contain large numbers of galaxies assembled in clusters interconnected by multi-scale filamentary networks. As such, superclusters are a smaller version of the cosmic web and can hence be considered as miniature universes. In addition to the galaxies, superclusters also contain gas, which is hot in t...

Superclusters are the largest massive structures in the cosmic web, on tens to hundreds of megaparsec scales. They are the largest assembly of galaxy clusters in the Universe. Apart from a few detailed studies of such structures, their evolutionary mechanism is still an open question. In order to address and answer the relevant questions, a statist...

Our aim is to combine data on single galaxies, galaxy groups, their BGGs, and their location in the cosmic web, to determine classes of groups, and to obtain a better understanding of their properties and evolution in various environments. Data on groups and their BGGs are based on the Sloan Digital Sky Survey DR10 MAIN spectroscopic galaxy sample....

Context. Dynamical friction can be a valuable tool for inferring dark matter properties that are difficult to constrain by other methods. Most applications of dynamical friction calculations are concerned with the long-term angular momentum loss and orbital decay of the perturber within its host. This, however, assumes knowledge of the unknown init...

We quantify the evolution of matter and galaxy clustering in cosmological hydrodynamical simulations via correlation and bias functions of matter and galaxies. We use simulations TNG100 and TNG300 with epochs from z = 5 to z = 0. We calculate spatial correlation functions (CF) of galaxies, ξ(r), for simulated galaxies and dark matter (DM) particles...

We quantify the evolution of matter and galaxy clustering in cosmological hydrodynamical simulations via correlation and bias functions of matter and galaxies. We use simulations TNG100 and TNG300 with epochs from $z=5$ to $z=0$. We calculate spatial correlation functions of galaxies, $\xi(r)$, for simulated galaxies and dark matter (DM) particles...

Galaxy superclusters, the largest galaxy structures in the cosmic web, are formed due to the gravitational collapse (although they are not usually gravitationally bound). Their geometrical properties can shed light on the structure formation process on cosmological scales, hence on the fundamental properties of gravity itself. In this work we study...

We investigate the time evolution of bias of cosmic density fields. We perform numerical simulations of the evolution of the cosmic web for the conventional Λ cold dark matter (ΛCDM) model. The simulations cover a wide range of box sizes $L=256\rm{-}1024\,h^{-1}\, {\rm Mpc}$, and epochs from very early moments z = 30 to the present moment z = 0. We...

Generally the dynamical state of superclusters is poorly known. We study properties of superclusters and select a sample of quasi-spherical superclusters, the dynamics of which can be studied using the $\Lambda$ significance diagram. We extracted our supercluster sample with an adaptive local threshold density method from the Sloan Digital Sky Surv...

Context. Superclusters are systems with varied properties and varied fractional overdensities. Their dynamical state evolves under the influence of two components: dark energy and gravitational force. The dominant component at any spatial location and cosmic epoch is determined by the total mass and the local overdensity of the system. However, gen...

Context. The evolution of galaxies is influenced by their local and global environment in the cosmic web. Galaxies with very old stellar populations (VO galaxies with D n (4000) index ≥1.75) mostly lie in the centres of galaxy clusters, where they evolve under the influence of processes characteristic of high-density cluster environments. However,...

Our aim is to understand the effect of environment to galaxy quenching in various local and global environments. We focus on galaxies with very old stellar populations (VO galaxies), typically found in the centers of clusters and groups, and search for such galaxies in the lowest global density environments, watersheds between superclusters. We use...

We investigate the time evolution of bias of cosmic density fields. We perform numerical simulations of the evolution of the cosmic web for the conventional $\Lambda$ cold dark matter ($\Lambda$CDM) model. The simulations cover a wide range of box sizes $L=256 - 1024\Mpc$, and epochs from very early moments $z=30$ to the present moment $z=0$. We ca...

Context. High-density cores (HDCs) of galaxy superclusters that embed rich clusters and groups of galaxies are the earliest large objects to form in the cosmic web, and the largest objects that may collapse in the present or future. Aims. We aim to study the dynamical state and possible evolution of the HDCs in the BOSS Great Wall (BGW) supercluste...

High-density cores (HDCs) of galaxy superclusters that embed rich clusters and groups of galaxies are the earliest large objects to form in the cosmic web, and the largest objects that may collapse in the present or future. We study the dynamical state and possible evolution of the HDCs in the BOSS Great Wall (BGW) superclusters at redshift $z \app...

Aims. We investigate the evolution of the one-point probability distribution function (PDF) of the dark matter density field and the evolution of its moments for fluctuations that are Gaussian in the linear regime. Methods. We performed numerical simulations of the evolution of the cosmic web for the conventional ΛCDM model. The simulations covered...

Aims. Our goal is to find the relation between the two-point correlation functions (CFs) of projected and spatial density fields of galaxies in the context of the cosmic web. Methods. To investigate relations between spatial (3D) and projected (2D) CFs of galaxies we used density fields of two simulations: a Λ-dominated cold dark matter model with...

Context. Rich superclusters of galaxies represent dynamically active environments in which galaxies and their systems form and evolve. Aims. We study the dynamical properties and connectivity of the richest galaxy clusters in the Corona Borealis (CB) supercluster and of the whole supercluster, and analyse star formation of galaxies in them with the...

We present a study of the Corona Borealis (CB) supercluster. We determined the high-density cores of the CB and the richest galaxy clusters in them, and studied their dynamical state and galaxy content. We determined filaments in the supercluster to analyse the connectivity of clusters. We compared the mass distribution in the CB with predictions f...

Aims. We investigate the evolution of superclusters and supercluster cocoons (basins of attraction), and the effect of cosmological parameters on the evolution. Methods. We performed numerical simulations of the evolution of the cosmic web for different cosmological models: the Λ cold dark matter (LCDM) model with a conventional value of the dark e...

The largest galaxy systems in the cosmic web are superclusters, overdensity regions of galaxies, groups, clusters, and filaments. Low-density regions around superclusters are called basins of attraction or cocoons. In my talk I discuss the properties of galaxies, groups, and filaments in the A2142 supercluster and its cocoon at redshift $z \approx...

We perform numerical simulations of the evolution of the cosmic web for the conventional $\Lambda$CDM model in box sizes $L_0=256,~512,~1024$~\Mpc. We calculate models, corresponding to the present epoch $z=0$, and to redshifts $z=1,~3,~5,~10,~30$. We calculate density fields with various smoothing levels to find the dependence of the density field...

Context. Superclusters of galaxies and their surrounding low-density regions (cocoons) represent dynamically evolving environments in which galaxies and their systems form and evolve. While evolutionary processes of galaxies in dense environments are extensively studied at present, galaxy evolution in low-density regions has received less attention...

We study the properties, connectivity, and galaxy content of groups and filaments in the low-density region (cocoon) around A2142 supercluster (SClA2142). We traced the SClA2142 cocoon boundaries by the lowest luminosity-density regions that separate SClA2142 from other superclusters. We determined galaxy filaments and groups in the cocoon and anal...

Aims. Our goal is to determine how the spatial correlation function of galaxies describes biasing and fractal properties of the cosmic web. Methods. We calculated spatial correlation functions of galaxies, ξ ( r ), structure functions, g ( r ) = 1 + ξ ( r ), gradient functions, γ ( r ) = d log g ( r )/d log r , and fractal dimension functions, D (...

Context. The cosmic web, a complex network of galaxy groups and clusters connected by filaments, is a dynamical environment in which galaxies form and evolve. However, the impact of cosmic filaments on the properties of galaxies is difficult to study because of the much more influential local (galaxy-group scale) environment. Aims. The aim of this...

Context. The cosmic web, a complex network of galaxy groups and clusters connected by filaments, is a dynamical environment in which galaxies form and evolve. However, the impact of cosmic filaments on the properties of galaxies is difficult to study because of the much more influential local (galaxy-group scale) environment. Aims. The aim of this...

We investigate the evolution of superclusters and supercluster cocoons (basins of attraction), and the influence of cosmological parameters to the evolution. We perform numerical simulations of the evolution of the cosmic web for different cosmological models: the LCDM model with a conventional value of the dark energy (DE) density, the open model...

Aims. We qualitatively assess and map the relative contribution of pre-processing and cluster related processes to the build-up of A963 , a massive cluster at z = 0.2 showing an unusually high fraction of star forming galaxies in its interior. Methods. We use Voronoi binning of positions of cluster members on the plane of the sky in order to map th...

We qualitatively assess and map the relative contribution of pre-processing and cluster related processes to the build-up of A963, a massive cluster at z=0.2 showing an unusually high fraction of star forming galaxies in its interior. We use Voronoi binning of positions of cluster members on the plane of the sky in order to map the 2D variations of...

Our goal is to find the relation between the two-point correlation functions of the projected and spatial density fields of galaxies, and their influence to biasing, fractal and other geometrical properties of the cosmic web. Using spatial (3D) and projected (2D) density fields we calculate 3D and 2D correlation functions of galaxies, $\xi(r)$, str...

We calculate spatial correlation functions of galaxies, $\xi(r)$, structure functions, $g(r)=1 +\xi(r)$, and fractal dimension functions, $D(x)= 3+\gamma(r) = 3+ d \log g(r)/ d \log r$, using dark matter particles of biased $\Lambda$ cold dark matter (CDM) simulation, observed galaxies of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), and simulated galaxies...

Context . We study biasing as a physical phenomenon by analysing geometrical and clustering properties of density fields of matter and galaxies. Aims. Our goal is to determine the bias function using a combination of geometrical and power spectrum analyses of simulated and real data. Methods . We apply an algorithm based on the local densities of p...

{We study biasing as a physical phenomenon by analysing geometrical and clustering properties of density fields of matter and galaxies.} {Our goal is to determine the bias function using a combination of geometrical and power spectrum analysis of simulated and real data.} {We apply an algorithm based on local densities of particles, $\delta$, to fo...

Aims . We investigate how properties of the ensemble of superclusters in the cosmic web evolve with time. Methods . We performed numerical simulations of the evolution of the cosmic web using the Λ cold dark matter model in box sizes L 0 = 1024, 512, 256 h ⁻¹ Mpc. We found supercluster ensembles of models for four evolutionary stages, corresponding...

Aims. We investigate how properties of the ensemble of superclusters in the cosmic web evolve with time. Methods. We perform numerical simulations of the evolution of the cosmic web using the LambdaCDM model in box sizes L0 = 1024, 512, 256 Mpc/h. We find supercluster ensembles of models for four evolutionary stages, corresponding to the present ep...

We study the rotational motion of the galaxy cluster A2107 at redshift z = 0.04 and its connection to nearby large-scale structures using a large amount of spectroscopic redshift data. By combining 978 new redshifts from the MMT/Hectospec observations with data in the literature, we construct a large sample of 1968 galaxies with measured redshifts...

Context . Superclusters with collapsing cores represent dynamically evolving environments for galaxies, galaxy groups, and clusters. Aims . We study the dynamical state and properties of galaxies and groups in the supercluster SCl A2142 that has a collapsing core, to understand its possible formation and evolution. Methods . We find the substructur...

We study the rotational motion of the galaxy cluster Abell 2107 at redshift z = 0.04 and its connection to nearby large-scale structures using a large amount of spectroscopic redshift data. By combining 978 new redshifts from the MMT/Hectospec observations with data in the literature, we construct a large sample of 1968 galaxies with measured redsh...

We study the dynamical state and properties of galaxies and groups in the supercluster SClA2142 that has a collapsing core, to understand its possible formation and evolution. We find the substructure of galaxy groups using normal mixture modelling. We have used the projected phase space (PPS) diagram, spherical collapse model, clustercentric dista...

Aims . We develop an extended percolation method to allow the comparison of geometrical properties of the real cosmic web with the simulated dark matter (DM) web for an ensemble of over- and under-density systems. Methods . We scanned density fields of DM model and Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) observational samples and found connected over- and...

Aims. We develop an extended percolation method to allow the comparison of geometrical properties of the real cosmic web with the simulated dark matter web for an ensemble of over- and under-density systems. Methods. We scan density fields of dark matter (DM) model and SDSS observational samples, and find connected over- and underdensity regions in...

Context. Superclusters of galaxies provide dynamical environments for the study of the formation and evolution of structures in the cosmic web from galaxies, to the richest galaxy clusters, and superclusters themselves. Aims. We study galaxy populations and search for possible merging substructures in the rich galaxy cluster A2142 in the collapsing...

We study galaxy populations and search for possible merging substructures in the rich galaxy cluster A2142. Normal mixture modelling revealed in A2142 several infalling galaxy groups and subclusters. The projected phase space diagram was used to analyse the dynamics of the cluster and study the distribution of various galaxy populations in the clus...

Most galaxies with UV-continuum avoid clusters of galaxies (Lipovetsky 1986). Until recently, however, it was difficult to compare spatial distribution of galaxies with UV-continuum with galaxies of other morphological types, since the number of galaxies with known distances was too small. Rapid accumulation of complete redshift samples in large ar...

The spatial distribution of galaxies is compared with model distributions. It is demonstrated that giant and dwarf galaxies in the Local Supercluster occupy statistically identical regions. Various tests suggest that galaxy formation is biased since all unbiased model distributions are in conflict with observed distribution of galaxies. Multifracta...

The mergers of galaxy clusters are the most energetic events in the universe after the Big Bang. With the increased availability of multi-object spectroscopy and X-ray data an ever increasing fraction of local clusters are recognised as exhibiting signs of recent or past merging events on various scales. Our goal is to probe how these mergers affec...

The mergers of galaxy clusters are the most energetic events in the universe after the Big Bang. With the increased availability of multi-object spectroscopy and X-ray data an ever increasing fraction of local clusters are recognised as exhibiting signs of recent or past merging events on various scales. Our goal is to probe how these mergers affec...

Studying large-scale environments of narrow-line Seyfert 1 (NLS1) galaxies gives a new perspective on their properties, particularly their radio loudness. The large-scale environment is believed to have an impact on the evolution and intrinsic properties of galaxies, however, NLS1 sources have not been studied in this context before. We have a larg...

We study the morphology, luminosity and mass of the superclusters from the BOSS Great Wall (BGW), a recently discovered very rich supercluster complex at the redshift $z = 0.47$. We have employed the Minkowski functionals to quantify supercluster morphology. We calculate supercluster luminosities and masses using two methods. Firstly, we used data...

We analyze the relationship between star formation (SF), substructure, and supercluster environment in a sample of 107 nearby galaxy clusters using data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. Previous works have investigated the relationships between SF and cluster substructure, and cluster substructure and supercluster environment, but definitive conc...

We study the alignment of galaxies relative to their local environment in SDSS-DR8 and, using these data, we discuss evolution scenarios for different types of galaxies. We defined a vector field of the direction of anisotropy of the local environment of galaxies. We summed the unit direction vectors of all close neighbours of a given galaxy in a p...

We study the alignment of galaxies relative to their local environment in SDSS-DR8 and, using these data, we discuss evolution scenarios for different types of galaxies. We defined a vector field of the direction of anisotropy of the local environment of galaxies. We summed the unit direction vectors of all close neighbours of a given galaxy in a p...

The nature versus nurture scenario in galaxy and group evolution is a long-standing problem not yet fully understood on cosmological scales. We study the properties of groups and their central galaxies in different large-scale environments defined by the luminosity density field and the cosmic web filaments. We use the luminosity density field cons...

The nature versus nurture scenario in galaxy and group evolution is a long-standing problem not yet fully understood on cosmological scales. We study the properties of groups and their central galaxies in different large-scale environments defined by the luminosity density field and the cosmic web filaments. We use the luminosity density field cons...

In the cosmic web, galaxy superclusters or their high-density cores are the largest objects that may collapse at present or during the future evolution. We study the dynamical state and possible future evolution of galaxy superclusters from the Sloan Great Wall (SGW), the richest galaxy system in the nearby Universe. We calculated supercluster mass...

We study the dependence of the number density and properties of quasars on the background galaxy density using the currently largest spectroscopic datasets of quasars and galaxies. We construct a galaxy number density field smoothed over the variable smoothing scale of between approximately 10 and $20\,h^{-1}$Mpc over the redshift range of $0.46<z<...

To understand the role of the environment in galaxy formation, evolution, and present-day properties, it is essential to study the multi-frequency behavior of different galaxy populations under various environmental conditions. We crossmatch the SDSS DR10 group catalog with GAMA Data Release 2 and Wide-field Survey Explorer (WISE) data to construct...

Aims. Superclusters are the largest relatively isolated systems in the cosmic web. Using the SDSS BOSS survey, we search for the largest superclusters in the redshift range 0.43 < z < 0.71. Methods. We generate a luminosity-density field smoothed over 8 h-1Mpc to detect the large-scale over-density regions. Each individual over-density region is de...

Context. Groups form the most abundant class of galaxy systems. They act as the principal drivers of galaxy evolution and can be used as tracers of the large-scale structure and the underlying cosmology. However, the detection of galaxy groups from galaxy redshift survey data is hampered by several observational limitations. Aims. We improve the wi...

The formation and evolution of the cosmic web in which galaxy superclusters are the largest relatively isolated objects is governed by a gravitational attraction of the dark matter and antigravity of the dark energy (cosmological constant). We study the characteristic density contrasts in the spherical collapse model for several epochs in the super...

Signatures of the processes in the early Universe are imprinted in the cosmic web. Some of them may define characteristic scales of shell-like structures in the web. We search for shell-like structures in the distribution of nearby rich clusters of galaxies drawn from the SDSS DR8. We calculate the distance distributions between rich clusters of ga...

We study the distribution, masses, and dynamical properties of galaxy groups in the A2142 supercluster. We analyse the global luminosity density distribution in the supercluster and divide the supercluster into the high-density core and the low-density outskirts regions. We find galaxy groups and filaments in the regions of different global density...

The current cosmological paradigm sees the formation and evolution of the cosmic large-scale structure as governed by the gravitational attraction of the Dark Matter (DM) and the repulsion of the Dark Energy (DE). We characterize the relative importance of uniform and constant dark energy, as given by the Lambda term in the standard LCDM cosmology,...

We use a volume-limited sample of quasars in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) DR7 quasar catalog to identify quasar groups and address their statistical significance. This quasar sample has a uniform selection function on the sky and nearly a maximum possible contiguous volume that can be drawn from the DR7 catalog. Quasar groups are identified...

We have developed a new method to approach the missing baryons problem. We assume that the missing baryons reside in a form of Warm Hot Intergalactic Medium, i.e. the WHIM. Our method consists of (a) detecting the coherent large scale structure in the spatial distribution of galaxies that traces the Cosmic Web and that in hydrodynamical simulations...

The properties of galaxies depend on their environment: red, passive elliptical galaxies are usually located in denser environments than blue, star-forming spiral galaxies. This difference in galaxy populations can be detected at all scales from groups of galaxies to superclusters. In this paper, we will discuss the effect of the large-scale enviro...

We study the cosmic web at redshifts 1.0 <= z <= 1.8 using quasar systems based on quasar data from the SDSS DR7 QSO catalogue. Quasar systems were determined with a friend-of-friend (FoF) algorithm at a series of linking lengths. At the linking lengths l <= 30 Mpc/h the diameters of quasar systems are smaller than the diameters of random systems,...

We trace the cosmic web at redshifts 1.0 <= z <= 1.8 using the quasar data from the SDSS DR7 QSO catalogue (Schneider et al. 2010). We apply a friend-of-friend (FoF) algorithm to the quasar and random catalogues to determine systems at a series of linking lengths, and analyse richness and sizes of these systems. At the linking lengths l <= 30 Mpc/h...

We study the cosmic web at redshifts 1.0 ≤ ≤ 1.8 using quasar systems based on quasar data from the SDSS DR7 QSO catalogue. Quasar systems were determined with a friend-of-friend (FoF) algorithm at a series of linking lengths. At the linking lengths l ≤ 30 h⁻¹ Mpc the diameters of quasar systems are smaller than the diameters of random systems, and...

We provide flux-limited and volume-limited galaxy group and cluster catalogues, based on the spectroscopic sample of the SDSS data release 10 galaxies. We used a modified friends-of-friends (FoF) method with a variable linking length in the transverse and radial directions to identify as many realistic groups as possible. The flux-limited catalogue...

We investigate the relationship between star formation (SF) and substructure in a sample of 107 nearby galaxy clusters using data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). Several past studies of individual galaxy clusters have suggested that cluster mergers enhance cluster SF, while others find no such relationship. The SF fraction in multi-compon...

We compare the galaxy populations in superclusters of different morphology in the nearby Universe (180 < d < 270 Mpc) to see whether the inner structure and overall morphology of superclusters are important in shaping galaxy properties in superclusters. Supercluster morphology has been found with Minkowski functionals. We analyse the probability de...