The Dark Side of Galaxy Clustering

Andrey Kravtsov

Spatial distribution of galaxies and its relation to the underlying distribution of dark matter in the Universe (the bias) is one of the most important and oldest questions in observational cosmology. Understanding of this relation is required in order to use galaxy clustering to constrain cosmological parameters. It can also give us insight into the processes governing galaxy formation. I will first briefly review significant recent progress in theoretical understanding of galaxy clustering. I will then present results of cosmological simulations, which show that nonlinear galaxy clustering can be well described by a simple yet accurate theoretical model. I will argue that gravity and dynamical evolution of the parent dark matter halos of galaxies, rather than the more complicated galaxy formation processes, are the main factors shaping galaxy distribution and bias.