The VIMOS Public Extragalactic Redshift Survey (VIPERS) is the largest redshift survey ever conducted with the ESO telescopes. It has used the Very Large Telescope to collect nearly 100,000 redshifts from the general galaxy population at 0.5 < z < 1.2. With a combination of volume and high sampling density that is unique for these redshifts, it allows statistical measurements of galaxy clustering and related cosmological quantities to be obtained on an equal footing with classic results from local redshift surveys. At the same time, the simple magnitude-limited selection and the wealth of ancillary photometric data provide a general view of the galaxy population, its physical properties and the relation of the latter to large-scale structure. This paper presents an overview of the galaxy clustering results obtained so far, together with their cosmological implications. Most of these are based on the ∼ 55,000 galaxies forming the first public data release (PDR-1). As of January 2015, observations and data reduction are complete and the final data set of more than 90,000 redshifts is being validated and made ready for the final investigations.

We study the cosmic web at redshifts 1.0 ≤ ≤ 1.8 using quasar systems based on quasar data from the SDSS DR7 QSO catalogue. Quasar systems were determined with a friend-of-friend (FoF) algorithm at a series of linking lengths. At the linking lengths l ≤ 30 h-1 Mpc the diameters of quasar systems are smaller than the diameters of random systems, and are comparable to the sizes of galaxy superclusters in the local Universe. The mean space density of quasar systems is close to the mean space density of local rich superclusters. At larger linking lengths the diameters of quasar systems are comparable with the sizes of supercluster complexes in our cosmic neighbourhood. The richest quasar systems have diameters exceeding 500h Mpc. Very rich systems can be found also in random distribution but the percolating system which penetrate the whole sample volume appears in quasar sample at smaller linking length than in random samples showing that the large-scale distribution of quasar systems differs from random distribution. Quasar system catalogues at our web pages (http://www.aai.ee/maret/QSOsystems.html) serve as a database to search for superclusters of galaxies and to trace the cosmic web at high redshifts.

Clustering estimates in galaxy redshift surveys need to account and correct for the way targets are selected from the general population, as to avoid biasing the measured values of cosmological parameters. The VIMOS Public Extragalactic Redshift Survey (VIPERS) is no exception to this, involving slit collisions and masking effects. Pushed by the increasing precision of the measurements, e.g. of the growth rate f, we have been re-assessing these effects in detail. We present here an improved correction for the two-point correlation function, capable to recover the amplitude of the monopole of the two-point correlation function ξ(r) above 1 h-1 Mpc to better than 2.

The VIMOS Public Extragalactic Redshift Survey [VIPERS, Guzzo et al. 2014] is using the VIMOS spectrograph at the ESO VLT to measure redshifts for ∼ 100,000 galaxies with IAB < 22.5 and 0.5 < z < 1.2, over an area of 24 deg2 (split over the W1 and W4 fields of CFHTLS). VIPERS currently provides, at such redshifts, the best compromise between volume, number of galaxies and dense spatial sampling. We present here the first estimate of the power spectrum of the galaxy distribution, P(k), at redshifts z ∼ 0.75 and z ∼ 1, obtained from the ∼ 55,000 redshifts of the PDR-1 data release. We discuss first constraints on cosmological quantities, as the matter density and the baryonic fraction, obtained for the first time at an epoch when the Universe was about half its current age.

I consider a sample of ‘Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog’ that contains eight hundred objects within 11 Mpc. Environment of each galaxy is characterized by a tidal index Θ1 depending on separation and mass of the galaxy Main Disturber (=MD). The UNGC galaxies with a common MD are ascribed to its ‘suite’ and ranked according to their Θ1. Fifteen the most populated suites contain more than half of the UNGC sample. The fraction of MDs among the brightest galaxies is almost 100% and drops to 50% at M_B = -18 mag. The observational properties of galaxies accumulated in UNGC are used to derive orbital masses of giant galaxies via motions of their satellites. The average orbital-to-stellar mass ratio for them is MorbM* ≃ 30, corresponding to the mean local density of matter Ωm ≃ 0.09, i.e 1/3 of the global cosmic one. The dark-to-stellar mass ratio for the Milky Way and M31 is typical for other neighboring giant galaxies.

We use the Bolshoi Simulation to find the most probable location of the Local Group (LG) in the cosmic web. Our LG simulacra are pairs of halos with isolation and kinematic properties consistent with observations. The cosmic web is defined using a tidal tensor approach. We find that the LG's preferred location is regions with a dark matter overdensity close to the cosmic average. This makes filaments and sheets the preferred environment. We also find a strong alignment between the LG and the cosmic web. The orbital angular momentum is preferentially perpendicular to the smallest tidal eigenvector, while the vector connecting the two halos is strongly aligned along the the smallest tidal eigenvector and perpendicular to the largest tidal eigenvector; the pair lies and moves along filaments and sheets. We do not find any evidence for an alignment between the spin of each halo in the pair and the cosmic web.

Bootes filament of galaxies is a dispersed chain of groups residing on sky between the Local Void and the Virgo cluster. We consider a sample of 361 galaxies inside the sky area of RA = 13h0...18h.5 and Dec = .5°... + 10° with radial velocities VLG < 2000 km/s to clarify its structure and kinematics. In this region, 161 galaxies have individual distance estimates. We use these data to draw the Hubble relation for galaxy groups, pairs as well as the field galaxies, and to examine the galaxy distribution on peculiar velocities. Our analysis exposes the known Virgo-centric infall at RA < 14h and some signs of outflow from the Local Void at RA > 17h. According to the galaxy grouping criterion, this complex contains the members of 13 groups, 11 pairs and 140 field galaxies. The most prominent group is dominated by NGC 5846. The Bootes filament contains the total stellar mass of 2.7 ×1012M⊙ and the total virial mass of 9.07×1013M⊙, having the average density of dark matter to be Ωm = 0.09, i.e. a factor three lower than the global cosmic value.

Weak lensing detections and measurements of filaments have been elusive for a long time. The reason is that the low density contrast of filaments generally pushes the weak lensing signal to unobservably low scales. To nevertheless map the dark matter in filaments exquisite data and unusual systems are necessary. SuprimeCam observations of the supercluster system Abell 222/223 provided the required combination of excellent seeing images and a fortuitous alignment of the filament with the line-of-sight. This boosted the lensing signal to a detectable level and led to the first weak lensing mass measurement of a large-scale structure filament. The filament connecting Abell 222 and Abell 223 is now the only one traced by the galaxy distribution, dark matter, and X-ray emission from the hottest phase of the warm-hot intergalactic medium. The combination of these data allows us to put the first constraints on the hot gas fraction in filaments.

We study the large-scale structure with superclusters from the REFLEX X-ray cluster survey together with cosmological N-body simulations. It is important to construct superclusters with criteria such that they are homogeneous in their properties. We lay out our theoretical concept considering future evolution of superclusters in their definition, and show that the X-ray luminosity and halo mass functions of clusters in superclusters are found to be top-heavy, different from those of clusters in the field. We also show a promising aspect of using superclusters to study the local cluster bias and mass scaling relation with simulations.

In this project, we compare different properties of galaxy groups in cosmological N-body simulations and SDSS galaxy group catalogs. In the first part of the project (Nurmi et al. 2013) we compared the basic properties of the groups like the luminosity functions, group richness and velocity dispersion distributions and studied how good is the agreement between the mock group catalog and the SDSS group catalog. Here we continue the earlier study and use updated galaxy group catalog (SDSS DR10) and new simulation data (Guo et al. 2013). We reanalyse earlier group properties and include new properties in the analysis like group environment, star formation rates and group masses. Our analysis show that there are clear differences between the simulated and observed properties of galaxy groups, especially for small groups with a few members. Also, the high luminosities are clearly overestimated in the simulations compared with the SDSS group data.

Using high accuracy distance estimates, we study the three-dimensional distribution of galaxies in five galaxy groups at a distance less than 5 Mpc from the Milky Way. Due to proximity of these groups our sample of galaxies is nearly complete down to extremely small dwarf galaxies with absolute magnitudes MB = -12. We find that the average number-density profile of the groups shows a steep power-law decline dn/dV ∼ R-3 at distances R=(100–500) kpc consistent with predictions of the standard cosmological model. We also find that there is no indication of a truncation or a cutoff in the density at the expected virial radius: the density profile extends at least to 1.5 Mpc. Vast majority of galaxies within 1.5 Mpc radius around group centres are gas-rich star-forming galaxies. Early-type galaxies are found only in the central ∼ 300 kpc region. Lack of dwarf spheroidal and dwarf elliptical galaxies in the field and in the outskirts of large groups is a clear indication that these galaxies experienced morphological transformation when they came close to the central region of forming galaxy group.

We study the spatial distribution of the sparse cloud of galaxies in the Canes Venatici constellation. We determined distances of 30 galaxies using the tip of the red giant branch (TRGB) method. This homogeneous sample allows us to distinguish the zone of chaotic motions around the center of the system. A group of galaxies around M94 is characterized by the mass-luminosity ratio of M/LB=159 (M/L)⊙. It is significantly higher than the typical ratio M/LB=159 (M/L)⊙ for the nearby groups of galaxies. The CVn I cloud of galaxies contains 4–5 times less luminous matter compared with the well-known nearby groups, such as the Local Group, M 81 and Centaurus A. The central galaxy M 94 is at least 1 mag fainter than any other central galaxy of these groups. However, the concentration of galaxies in the Canes Venatici may have a comparable total mass.

We present the analysis of a sample of strong-lensing galaxy group candidates. Our main findings are: confirmation of group-scale systems, complex light distributions, presence of large-scale structures in their surroundings, and evidence of a strong-lensing bias in the mass-concentration relation. We also report the detection of the first 'Bullet group'.

Morphological types were determined for 247 rich galaxy clusters from the PF Catalogue of Galaxy Clusters and Groups. The adopted types are based on classical morphological schemes and consider concentration to the cluster center, the signs of preferential direction or plane in the cluster, and the positions of the brightest galaxies. It is shown that both concentration and preferential plane are significant and independent morphological criteria.

We have developed a galaxy cluster finding technique based on the Delaunay Tessellation Field Estimator (DTFE) combined with caustic analysis. Our method allows us to recover clusters of galaxies within the mass range of $10^{12}$ to $10^{16}\ \mathcal{M}_{\odot}$. We have found a total of 113 galaxy clusters in the Galaxy and Mass Assembly survey (GAMA). In the corresponding mass range, the density of clusters found in this work is comparable to the density traced by clusters selected by the thermal Sunyaev Zel'dovich Effect; however, we are able to cover a wider mass range. We present the analysis of the two-point correlation function for our cluster sample.

We present the first measurement of the evolution of the apparent projected shape of galaxy clusters from 0.2≲ z≲2. We measure the ellipticities (εcl) of homogeneously selected galaxy clusters over this wide redshift range. We confirm the predictions of N-body simulations that clusters are more elongated at higher redshift, finding the mean projected ellipticity changes linearly from 0.36±0.01 to 0.25±0.01 over that range. The fraction of relaxed clusters (defined as having εcl<0.2) is 9+5-3% at z∼1.8, steadily increasing to 42+7-6% by z∼0.3. Because more spherical clusters have a higher degree of virialization, our result shows significant evolution in the degree of cluster virialization over cosmic time.

In 1970 Zel'dovich published a far-reaching paper presenting a simple equation describing the nonlinear growth of primordial density inhomogeneities. The equation was remarkably successful in explaining the large scale structure in the Universe that we observe: a Universe in which the structure appears to be delineated by filaments and clusters of galaxies surrounding huge void regions. In order to concretise this impression it is necessary to define these structural elements through formal techniques with which we can compare the Zel'dovich model and N-body simulations with the observational data.

We present an overview of recent efforts to identify voids, filaments and clusters in both the observed galaxy distribution and in numerical simulations of structure formation. We focus, in particular, on methods that involve no fine-tuning of parameters and that handle scale dependence automatically. It is important that these techniques should result in finding structures that relate directly to the dynamical mechanism of structure formation.

Galaxies form chains (filaments) that connect groups and clusters of galaxies. The filamentary network includes nearly half of the galaxies and is visually the most striking feature in cosmological maps. We study the distribution of galaxies along such a filamentary network, trying to find specific patterns. Our galaxy filaments are defined using the Bisous process. We use the two-point correlation function and the Rayleigh $Z$-squared statistic to study how the galaxies are distributed along the filaments. We show that galaxies and galaxy groups are not uniformly distributed along filaments, but tend to form a regular pattern. The characteristic length of the pattern is 7~$h^{-1}$Mpc. A slightly smaller characteristic length 4~$h^{-1}$Mpc can also be found, using the $Z$-squared statistic. One can say that galaxy filaments are like pearl necklaces, where the pearls are galaxy groups distributed more or less regularly along the filaments. We propose that this well defined characteristic scale could be used as a cosmological test.

Galaxy number or luminosity density serves as a basis for many structure classification algorithms. Several methods are used to estimate this density. Among them kernel methods have probably the best statistical properties and allow also to estimate the local sample errors of the estimate. We introduce a kernel density estimator with an adaptive data-driven anisotropic kernel, describe its properties and demonstrate the wealth of additional information it gives us about the local properties of the galaxy distribution.

The aim of our work was to determine the environmental density of galaxies from SDSS DR9 using the Voronoi tessellation. We constructed the 3D Voronoi tessellation for the volume-limited galaxy sample within 0.02 <z<0.1 and -24 Mr-20.7 using an inverse volume of Voronoi cell as a parameter describing the local environmental density of a galaxy. It allowed us to inspect the morphology - density relation. We obtained that the early type galaxies prefer to reside in the Voronoi cells of smaller volumes (i.e. dense environments) than the late type galaxies, which are located in the larger Voronoi cells (i.e. sparse environments).