Unveiling the singular dynamics in the cosmic large-scale structure

Abstract

It is known that the gravitational collapse of cold dark matter leads to infinite-density caustics that seed the primordial dark-matter halos in the large-scale structure. The development of these caustics begins, generically, as an almost one-dimensional phenomenon with the formation of pancakes. Focusing on the one-dimensional case, we identify a landscape of non-differentiable, and thus, singular features in the particle acceleration that emerge after the first crossing of particle trajectories. We complement our fully analytical studies by high-resolution simulations and find outstanding agreement, particularly shortly after the first crossing. We develop the methods in one space dimension but outline briefly the necessary steps for the 3D case.