Description
The cosmic web is the largest geometric structure in our universe, consisting of an intricate network of empty voids bounded by thin walls, elongated filaments, and dense clusters. Given the array of upcoming cosmological redshift surveys, new analytic tools are needed to study the formation of the various structures, quantify the geometry and topology, and isolate the elements of the cosmic web. New techniques might, for example, help to understand the link between the properties of galaxies and their placement in the large-scale structure. In this talk, I will present my recent developments in the study of the caustic skeleton of the cosmic web. By tracing the phase-space structure of the dark matter sheet, I identify the relevant caustics and illustrate their role in the cosmic web. I will propose a new definition of the filamentary structure of the large-scale structure in terms of the initial density fluctuations. This definition is based on the dynamics of the formation history and will help the systematic study of the properties and interplay of filaments, and their influence on the embedded galaxies.
