Three-dimensional Burgers' Equation as a Model for the Large-Scale Structure Formation in the Universe

Sergei F. Shandarin

Published 1995-07-22, updated 1995-09-21Version 2

As galaxy redshift surveys probe deeper into the universe, they uncover ever more dramatic structures in the large-scale distribution of galaxies. In particular, the CfA2 and SSRS2 surveys to an apparent magnitude limit of 15.5 exhibit an impressive complex of sheets, filaments, and clusters. The formation of the large-scale structure in the universe results from the gravitational amplification of the primordial small perturbations of density. The primordial density perturbations, as quantum fluctuations at the very early stage, may reveal important information about the early universe and the laws of fundamental physics. One of the major obstacles to understanding the formation of the large-scale structure is the complexity of the evolution of the density inhomogeneities at the nonlinear stage when the observable structures form. One way of addressing this problem is to run three-dimensional numerical simulations. Here we review another approach based on the approximate analytic model of the nonlinear gravitational instability utilizing Burgers' equation of the nonlinear diffusion.