Cosmic Voids: structure, dynamics and galaxies

Abstract

In this review we discuss several aspects of Cosmic Voids. Voids are a major component of the large scale distribution of matter and galaxies in the Universe. They are of instrumental importance for understanding the emergence of the Cosmic Web. Their relatively simple shape and structure makes them into useful tools for extracting the value of a variety cosmic parameters, possibly including even that of the influence of dark energy. Perhaps most promising and challenging is the issue of the galaxies found within their realm. Not only does the pristine environment of voids provide a promising testing ground for assessing the role of environment on the formation and evolution of galaxies, the dearth of dwarf galaxies may even represent a serious challenge to the standard view of cosmic structure formation.