Cosmographic mapping of the Sloan Great Wall reveals the largest known basin of attraction
By
[Submitted on 3 Jun 2026]
Right out the toaster. Reliable, with some real depth.
Summary
This paper presents a cosmographic analysis of the Sloan Great Wall using Hamiltonian Monte Carlo forward reconstruction within a ΛCDM framework. Constrained by the Cosmicflows-4 compendium of galaxy distances and radial velocities, the study reconstructs probabilistic density and velocity fields. By following velocity streamlines to gravitational potential minima, the researchers identify the Sloan basin of attraction as the largest in the study region, spanning ~0.13c (about 560 million light-years) in diameter. The analysis reveals how streamlines converge on the Sloan Great Wall, and examines the relationship with the Ho`oleilana baryon acoustic oscillation feature. The findings are augmented by video and interactive models.
Key quotes
· 4 pulledThe Sloan basin of attraction is by far the largest basin in the study region, extending across a diameter of ~0.13c.
Streamlines of the reconstructed velocity field started from arbitrary points in space can be followed to sinks, i.e. the minima of the gravitational potential, due to the distribution of mass.
It is of interest to see the relationship of the Ho`oleilana baryon acoustic oscillation feature with the Sloan basin of attraction.
The solution can be assigned probabilities, with uncertainties associated with the imperfect data and the random nature of the ΛCDM model.
You might also wanna read
Using Blender's Geometry Nodes for Cosmology Research Visualization
A Ph.D student in Physics/Cosmology shares how they use Blender's Geometry Nodes (GeoNodes) for scientific visualization in cosmology resear
blender.org·1mo ago
Vera C. Rubin Observatory's 3.2-Billion-Pixel Camera Captures First Image of 10 Million Galaxies
Tony Tyson, a cosmologist, unveils the first image from the Vera C. Rubin Observatory's 3.2-billion-pixel digital camera — the largest ever
quantamagazine.org·11mo agoAstronomers locate universe's 'missing' matter in the largest cosmic structures
Machine Learning Validates Unrecognized Transient Astronomical Phenomena in Historical Observatory Images
This research paper uses machine learning to validate the existence of previously unrecognized transient astronomical phenomena in historica
arxiv.org·1mo ago
Information-Theoretic Framework Proposes Fine Structure Constant as Derived from Resolution Cascade Efficiency
This working paper proposes an information-theoretic framework that reinterprets fundamental physical constants like the fine structure cons
zenodo.org·6mo ago
Discovery of a 36 Billion Solar Mass Black Hole in the Cosmic Horseshoe Gravitational Lens
The article discusses the discovery of a supermassive black hole (SMBH) with a mass of 36 billion solar masses at the center of the Cosmic H
academic.oup.com·10mo ago