Cosmological accretion wakes

Journal Article · Fri May 01 04:00:00 EDT 1987 · Astrophys. J.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1086/165219· OSTI ID:6209144

Bertschinger, E

In an expanding universe, a rapidly moving cosmic string or point mass causes matter to accrete into a wake behind the perturber. Analytic solutions for the structure and evolution of these wakes are derived using the Zel'dovich approximation. At early times the wakes are narrow and their evolution is self-similar. It is found that the amount of mass accreted into the wake of a point mass or small loop of cosmic string is approximately independent of the peculiar velocity of the perturber, so that the spherical accretion model correctly gives the mass that has become nonlinear. Initially the accretion wake of a moving point mass is a thin cylinder, but it becomes increasingly spherical as matter is accreted from larger comoving volumes. The accretion wakes of long strings have the form of thin sheets. Less matter is swept up in the sheets than in the wakes of small loops, but the long strings may be important for large-scale structure. The cosmic string scenario of structure formation predicts that galaxy halos should be nearly round, while Abell clusters should be prolate. 22 references.

• Research Organization: California Univ., Berkeley
• OSTI ID: 6209144
• Journal Information: Astrophys. J.; (United States), Journal Name: Astrophys. J.; (United States) Vol. 316; ISSN ASJOA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640106* -- Astrophysics & Cosmology-- Cosmology
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
ANALYTICAL SOLUTION
COMPOSITE MODELS
COSMOLOGY
EXPANSION
EXTENDED PARTICLE MODEL
GALACTIC EVOLUTION
MASS
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
MORPHOLOGY
PARTICLE MODELS
PERTURBATION THEORY
QUARK MODEL
STRING MODELS