The local velocity field

Karen Masters

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter

Abstract

We only see a small fraction of the matter in the universe, but the rest gives itself away by the impact of its gravity. The distortions from pure Hubble flow (or peculiar velocities) that this matter creates have the potential to be a powerful cosmological tool, but are also a nuisance for extragalactic astronomers who wish to use redshifts to estimate distances to local galaxies. We provide a quick overview of work on the local peculiar velocity field, discussing both simple spherical infall models, non-parametric modeling using redshifts surveys, and full velocity and density field reconstruction from peculiar velocities. We discuss results from a multiattractor model fit to data from the SFI++ sample of peculiar velocities - the best peculiar velocity data currently available. We also talk about the future of samples for the study of the local velocity field, especially the 2MASS Tully-Fisher (2MTF) survey.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationThe Evolution of Galaxies Through the Neutral Hydrogen Window
Subtitle of host publicationArecibo Observatory, Puerto Rico, 1-3 February, 2008
EditorsRobert Minchin, Emmanuel Momjian
Place of PublicationWoodbury, N.Y.
PublisherAmerican Institute of Physics
Pages40-46
ISBN (Print)9780735405585
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2008

Publication series

NameAIP conference proceedings: astronomy and astrophysics
PublisherAmerican Institute of Physics
Volume1035

Keywords

  • peculiar velocities
  • Tully-Fisher
  • distances

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