2008/01/03 by Claude‐André Faucher‐Giguère, C. -A. Faucher-Giguere, Adam Lidz +3 · 22 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Astronomy #Astrophysics #Astrophysics and Star Formation Studies #COSMIC cancer database #Computer science #Cosmology #Cosmology and Gravitation Theories #Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena #Galaxy #Intergalactic medium #Key (lock) #Physics #Redshift #Structure formation #Universe #astro-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1126/science.1151476
published in Science 319(5859), 52-55 (American Association for the Advancement of Science) · 10 pages, 2 figures. Appeared as a solicited Perspective article in the January 4, 2008 special issue of Science on the cosmic web
openalex publication_date 2008/01/03 · arxiv created 2008/03/03 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
The universe is permeated by a network of filaments, sheets, and knots collectively forming a "cosmic web." The discovery of the cosmic web, especially through its signature of absorption of light from distant sources by neutral hydrogen in the intervening intergalactic medium, exemplifies the interplay between theory and experiment that drives science and is one of the great examples in which numerical simulations have played a key and decisive role. We recount the milestones in our understanding of cosmic structure; summarize its impact on astronomy, cosmology, and physics; and look ahead by outlining the challenges faced as we prepare to probe the cosmic web at new wavelengths.