Characteristic Scales of Initial Density and Velocity Fields

Abstract

For the initial fields of the density contrast and peculiar velocity, we theoretically calculate the differential and integral length scales, i.e., statistical measures that respectively characterize the small- and large-scale fluctuations of a random field. These length scales and the associated mass scales explain the length and mass scales observed for (1) halos of young galaxies at z > 5, (2) halos of galaxies at z = 0, and (3) the largest structures in the galaxy distribution at z = 0. We thereby discuss that such observed scales are fossil imprints of the characteristic scales of the initial fields.