In these proceedings we discuss advances in the theory and observation of magnetic fields in the intergalactic medium and in the cosmic web. We make the point that, despite perhaps unsurmountable obstacles in simulating a small-scale dynamo, currently most cosmological magnetohydrodynamical simulations paint a similar picture of magnetic field amplification in the cosmos. However, observations of magnetic fields in the intergalactic medium turn out to be very difficult. As a case in point, we present recent work on Faraday rotation measurement in the direction of a giant galaxy with the Low Frequency Array (LOFAR). These observations demonstrate the currently unique capability of LOFAR to measure Faraday rotation at the high accuracy and angular resolution required to investigate the magnetisation of large-scale structure filaments of the cosmic web.

The phase-space correlation of dwarf galaxies around the Milky Way and the Andromeda galaxy pose a serious challenge to our understanding of structure formation. Recently, another planar structure was discovered around Cen A, the major galaxy of the Centaurus group. We have surveyed this galaxy group for new dwarf galaxies and presented the discovery of 57 new dwarf member candidates. Furthermore, we have studied the kinematics of previously known dwarfs and again found a kinematic coherence in their movement, similar to the Local Group satellites. In CDM simulations, such an alignment appears in less than 0.5 percent.

We consider a sample of dwarf galaxies with accurate distances and velocities around 14 massive groups in the Local Volume. We combine all the data into a single synthetic group, and then determine its radius of the zero-velocity surface, separating it against the global cosmic expansion. Our estimation is derived from fitting the the spherical infall model (including effects of the cosmological constant) to the observational data.

We found the optimal value of the radius to be 0.93 ± 0.02 Mpc. Assuming the Planck model parameters, it corresponds to the total mass of the synthetic group (1.6 ± 0.2) × 1012M⊙. Thus, we obtain the paradoxical result that the total mass of the synthetic group estimated on the scale of 3–4 its virial radius is only 60% of the virial mass estimate. Anyway, we conclude that wide outskirts of the nearby groups do not contain a large amount of hidden mass outside their virial radii.

Black holes are usually observed to be of stellar-mass or supermassive. By natural extension, there should be a population of Intermediate-Mass Black Holes (IMBHs: with mass between 100 to 106M⊙) in the Universe; which has started to been observed. An exciting claim has been made recently by Silk (2017): that early feedback by IMBHs in gas-rich dwarf galaxies at z = 5–8, can potentially solve multiple dwarf galaxy problems within the Λ-cold-dark-matter cosmology. We are performing Cosmological Hydrodynamical Simulations of (2Mpc)3 volumes, starting from z = 100, to test the case for IMBHs in Dwarf Galaxies. Black holes of mass 1000M⊙ are seeded inside halos when they reach a mass of 107M⊙. The black holes grow by accretion of gas from their surroundings and by merger with other black holes, and consequently eject feedback energy. We analyze the simulation output in post-processing to study the growth of the first IMBHs, and their impact on star-formation. Our conclusions, based on numerical simulation results, support the phenomenological ideas made by Silk (2017). IMBHs at the centers of dwarf galaxies can be a strong source of feedback to quench star-formation and generate outflows. At the same time, these IMBHs form the missing link between stellar-mass and supermassive BHs.

Characterizing the properties and the evolution of the first stars and galaxies is a challenging task for traditional galaxy surveys since they are sensitivity limited and can only detect the brightest light sources. Three-dimensional intensity mapping (IM) of transition lines can be a valuable alternative to study the high redshift Universe given that this technique avoids sensitivity limitation problems by measuring the overall emission of a line, with a low resolution, without resolving its sources. While 21cm line IM surveys probe neutral hydrogen gas and can, therefore, be used to probe the state of the IGM and the evolution of the ionization field during the Epoch of Reionization (EoR). IM surveys of other lines, such as CO, CII, Ly-alpha or H-alpha, can be used to probe the galaxies which emitted most of the ionizing radiation responsible for the EoR. These lines will trace the different ISM gas phases, the excitation state of this gas, its metallicity, etc. This study addresses IM of multiple transition lines and how it can be used to probe the EoR and to constrain the redshift evolution of galaxy properties.

Our understanding of the cosmic evolution of supermassive black holes (SMBHs) has been revolutionized by the advent of large multiwavelength extragalactic surveys, which have enabled detailed statistical studies of the host galaxies and large-scale structures of active galactic nuclei (AGN). We give an overview of some recent results on SMBH evolution, including the connection between AGN activity and star formation in galaxies, the role of galaxy mergers in fueling AGN activity, the nature of luminous obscured AGN, and the connection between AGN and their host dark matter halos. We conclude by looking to the future of large-scale extragalactic X-ray and spectroscopic surveys.

Gamma-ray bursts are the most luminous objects known: they outshine their host galaxies making them ideal candidates for probing large-scale structure. Earlier it has been found that the angular distribution of different groups of GRBs (long, intermediate and short) show deviation from the full randomness at different levels (e.g. Vavrek et al. (2008)).

In the current sample there are more than 361 GRBs with position and redshift: the large scale homogeneous and isotropic distribution were checked with nearest-neighbour tests and with the two-point correlation function.

Our view of the low-redshift Cosmic Web has been revolutionized by galaxy redshift surveys such as 6dFGS, SDSS and 2MRS. However, the trade-off between depth and angular coverage limits a systematic three-dimensional account of the entire sky beyond the Local Volume (z < 0.05). In order to reliably map the Universe to cosmologically significant depths over the full celestial sphere, one must draw on multiwavelength datasets and state-of-the-art photometric redshift techniques. We have undertaken a dedicated program of cross-matching the largest photometric all-sky surveys – 2MASS, WISE and SuperCOSMOS – to obtain accurate redshift estimates of millions of galaxies. The first outcome of these efforts – the 2MASS Photometric Redshift catalog (2MPZ, Bilicki et al. 2014a) – has been publicly released and includes almost 1 million galaxies with a mean redshift of z=0.08. Here we summarize how this catalog was constructed and how using the WISE mid-infrared sample together with SuperCOSMOS optical data allows us to push to redshift shells of z∼ 0.2 –0.3 on unprecedented angular scales. Our catalogs, with ∼ 20 million sources in total, provide access to cosmological volumes crucial for studies of local galaxy flows (clustering dipole, bulk flow) and cross-correlations with the cosmic microwave background such as the integrated Sachs-Wolfe effect or lensing studies.

A new non-parametric method based on Gaussian Processes (GP) was proposed recently to measure the Hubble constant H0. The freedom in this approach comes in the chosen covariance function, which determines how smooth the process is and how nearby points are correlated. We perform coverage tests with a thousand mock samples within the ΛCDM model in order to determine what covariance function provides the least biased results. The function Matérn(5/2) is the best with sligthly higher errors than other covariance functions, although much more stable when compared to standard parametric analyses.

A new generation of radio telescopes with unprecedented capabilities for astronomy and fundamental physics will be in operation over the next few years. With high sensitivities and large fields of view, they are ideal for cosmological applications. We discuss their uses for cosmology focusing on the observational technique of HI intensity mapping, in particular at low redshifts (z < 4). This novel observational window promises to bring new insights for cosmology, in particular on ultra-large scales and at a redshift range that can go beyond the dark energy domination epoch. In terms of standard constraints on the dark energy equation of state, telescopes such as Phase I of the SKA should be able to obtain constrains about as well as a future galaxy redshift surveys. Statistical techniques to deal with foregrounds and calibration issues, as well as possible systematics are also discussed.

Cosmological weak lensing is the powerful probe of cosmology. Here we address one of the most fundamental, statistical questions inherent in weak lensing cosmology: whether or not we can recover the initial Gaussian information content of large-scale structure by combining the weak lensing observables, here focused on the weak lensing power spectrum and bispectrum. To address this question we fully take into account correlations between the power spectra of different multipoles and the bispectra of different triangle configurations, measured from a finite area survey. In particular we show that super-survey modes whose length scale is larger than or comparable with the survey size cause significant sample variance in the weak lensing correlations via the mode-coupling with sub-survey modes due to nonlinear gravitational clustering – the so-called super-sample variance. In this paper we discuss the origin of the super-sample variance and then study the information content inherent in the weak lensing correlation functions up to three-point level.

Diffuse intracluster light (ICL) has now been observed in nearby and in intermediate redshift clusters. Individual intracluster stars have been detected in the Virgo and Coma clusters and the first color-magnitude diagram and velocity measurements have been obtained. Recent studies show that the ICL contains of the order of 10% and perhaps up to 30% of the stellar mass in the cluster, but in the cores of some dense and rich clusters like Coma, the local ICL fraction can be high as 40%-50%. What can we learn from the ICL about the formation of galaxy clusters and the evolution of cluster galaxies? How and when did the ICL form? What is the connection to the central brightest cluster galaxy? Cosmological N-body and hydrodynamical simulations are beginning to make predictions for the kinematics and origin of the ICL. The ICL traces the evolution of baryonic substructures in dense environments and can thus be used to constrain some aspects of cosmological simulations that are most uncertain, such as the modeling of star formation and the mass distribution of the baryonic component in galaxies.

We revisit a basic model of quasar activation by major mergers of dark matter halos (with “galactic” masses of ≲1013M⊙h−1). This model usually consists of two main ingredients: the halo merger rate describing triggering, and a quasar light curve, which describes the evolution of individual quasars. We show how the matching between model predictions and a variety of new, independent data sets allows one to efficiently constrain several aspects of black hole growth and evolution that must be taken into account in future studies by more advanced models of galaxy formation. Our results can be summarized as follows: (1) A descending phase modelled such that quasars in more massive halos shut down faster than those in less massive ones allows a good description of the bright end of the AGN luminosity function at all epochs and is compatible with downsizing, with more massive galaxies shutting down star formation earlier. (2) We measure the average bias of type 2 AGNs in SDSS to be b = 1.233 ± 0.195, independent of luminosity in the range 42.5≤ log L(erg s−1) ≤ 45.5. Such a value of the bias implies that faint AGNs at z<0.3 are mainly hosted by halos more massive than ~1011.5–12M⊙h−1. The black hole mass function predicted by this model is flatter than previously found. (3) The high clustering signal measured at z>3 in SDSS forces successful models to be characterized by rather short delay times of tdelay≲108 yr between the triggering and the shining epochs, implying massive “seed” BHs ≳ 105M⊙h−1 and initial super-Eddington growth. (4) The low number counts of X-ray AGNs measured in recent deep surveys are better reproduced by models with a minimal post-peak phase and a higher minimum hosting halo mass at high redshifts. (5) Cross-correlating the feedback-constrained MBH–M relation, with the redshift-dependent Mstar–M relation obtained from the cumulative number-matching of the stellar and halo mass functions, we find a factor of ~2 larger BH-to-stellar mass ratio at high redshifts. We discuss the meaning of such trends in connection with the mild, positive evolution in the MBH-σstar relation, and the strong observed evolution in the sizes and velocity dispersions of their hosts.

The Arecibo Legacy Fast ALFA (ALFALFA) survey is a second generation blind extragalactic HI survey currently in progess which is exploiting Arecibo's superior sensitivity, angular resolution and digital technology to derive a census of the local HI universe over a cosmologically significant volume. As of the time of this meeting, some 4500 good quality extragalactic HI line sources have been identified in about 15% of the final survey area. ALFALFA is detecting HI masses as low as 106M⊙ and as large as 1010.8M⊙ with positional accuracies typically better than 20″, allowing immediate identification of the most probable optical counterparts. Only 3% of all extragalactic HI sources and less than 1% of detections with MH I > 109.5M⊙ cannot be identified with a stellar component. Because ALFALFA is far from complete, the discussion here focuses on limitations of past surveys that ALFALFA will overcome because of its greater volume, sensitivity and reduced susceptibility to source confusion and on a sampling of illustrative preliminary results. First ALFALFA results already suggest, in agreement with previous studies, that there does not appear to be a cosmologically significant population of optically dark but HI rich galaxies. ALFALFA promises a wealthy dataset for the exploration of many issues in near-field cosmology and galaxy evolution studies, setting the stage for their extension to higher redshifts in the future with the Square Kilometer Array (SKA).

The reasons for the presence of two branches of galaxy evolution, one producing high surface brightness disks and one creating low surface brightness disks, is still unknown. Possible are the imprint of the properties of the dark matter halo, as well as evolutionary effects. In this paper we present an analysis of the clustering properties of LSB and HSB galaxies using the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. We show that LSB galaxies reside in regions of lower galaxy density than HSB galaxies on all scales between 0.8 and 8 Mpc, from scales of galaxy pairs to filaments of the Large Scale Structure. This implies a probable scenario of LSB galaxies preferentially forming as a result of local peaks in the large-scale valleys of the primordial density distribution.

The location of two nearby galaxy groups within ~20 Mpc in the Leo region allows for a detailed study of low-mass galaxies. A catalog of HI line detections in Leo (9h36m < α < 11h36m, +8° < δ < +16°) has been made from the blind HI survey ALFALFA. More sensitive single-pixel Arecibo observations targeted Leo dwarf candidates noted optically by Karachentsev et al. 2004 (K04) to determine group members and allow for a comparison of HI and optically-selected samples. This presentation highlights the differences between the two samples and the significant contribution blind HI surveys can make to the missing satellites problem.

Superclusters of galaxies are the largest gravitationally bound structures of the Universe. Numerical simulations indicate that a significant fraction of baryonic matter could be located in supercluster (SC) scales in the form of a warm/hot plasma. The sensitivity and resolution of the VSA interferometer at Teide observatory allow us to search for evidence of the Sunyaev-Zeldovich effect (SZE). We have published evidence for such a plasma towards the center of the Corona Borealis Supercluster (CrB-SC), Génova-Santos et al. (2005). Two large decrements in the intensity of the signal measured by VSA at 33 GHz (CrB-B and H) subtending an angle of about 25' could be indicative of a concentration of baryonic matter comparable to thousands of galaxies. This matter could be in the form of a plasma of temperature ~105 − 107 K where no clusters of galaxies have been identified. No other similar spots have been found in the VSA fields observed to measure the CMB primordial power spectrum of fluctuations, Rubiño-Martin et al. (2003), and suggests that this is indeed a very particular feature of the CrB-SC of galaxies. Additional data obtained with the MITO telescope of CrB-H also support this VSA finding Battistelli et al. (2006), and could be related to warm/hot plasma in the SC. We would expect a galaxy population to be associated with such a plasma, as it is well known to occur in clusters of galaxies where the SZE has been measured, Lancaster et al. (2005). However, the absence of X-ray emission in the ROSAT images in the CrB-SC SZ spots suggests that if there is a galaxy population linked to the plasma it may have a peculiar spatial distribution. We obtained photometry of CrB-SC region using the data base from SDSS DR4, covering a total of 15o2 in the CrB-SC area. We built a catogue with 121251 galaxies down a selection criterion based on galaxies colours 0.2 ≤ r − i ≤ 0.6 and δ(g, r, i) ≤ |0.2| errors. In order to study the behaviour of differents regions in the CrB-SC, four regions were measured that belongs it, two regions not associated with overdensity, A2065, and CrB-H with 30' radius for each ones. The completeness magnitude is R ≤ 21. A photometric study produced colour-magnitude diagrams where we can detect evidence that many of these galaxies belong to the same system. The excess in the number density of galaxies appears to be larger in CrB-H where the strongest CMB temperature decrement was found. The number of galaxies in it is a factor ~1.5 lower than A2065 and ~2.5 highest that the SC background field. This resembles the typical number of galaxies in clusters of galaxies. However, it appears these galaxies are more broadly distributed than in the well known clusters of this SC. It is possible that the hot plasma causing the SZ spot is indeed associated with a new large concentration of galaxies unidentified in the SC.

The Coma cluster is the richest and most compact of the nearby clusters, yet there is growing evidence that its formation is still on-going. A sensitive probe of this evolution is the dynamics of intracluster stars, which are unbound from galaxies while the cluster forms, according to cosmological simulations. With a new multi-slit imaging spectroscopy technique pioneered at the 8.2 m Subaru telescope and FOCAS, we can now detect and measure the line-of-sight velocities of the intracluster planetary nebulae which are associated with the diffuse stellar population of stars, at 100 Mpc distance. We detect significant velocity substructures within a 6 arcmin diameter field, centred on the Coma X-ray cluster emission. One substructure is present at $\sim $5000 km s$^{-1}$, probably from infall of a galaxy group, while the main intracluster stellar component moves at $\sim $6500 km s$^{-1}$. Hence the ICPNs associated with the diffuse light at the position of the MSIS field are not bound to the nearby cD galaxy NGC 4874, whose radial velocity is $\sim $700 km s$^{-1}$ higher.