The era of precision cosmology with voids

Read full text
Authors: Sofia Contarini, G Verza, Alice Pisani
Cited by: 4
References: 338

Abstract

Cosmic voids, the large underdense regions of our Universe, have emerged over the past decade as powerful cosmological laboratories: their simple dynamics, sensitivity to local gravitational effects and cosmic expansion, and ability to span large volumes, make them uniquely suited to test fundamental physics. Fueled by advances in theory, simulations, and observations, void science has matured into a precision tool for constraining the parameters of the standard cosmological model and its possible extensions. In this review, we provide a comprehensive description of the statistical tools developed to characterize voids, the theoretical models that link them to cosmological parameters, and the methodologies used to extract information from survey data. We highlight the growing synergy between void-based observables and other cosmological probes, and showcase the increasingly stringent constraints derived from voids measured from current and expected for upcoming surveys' data. With the advent of the next generation of galaxy surveys, voids are poised to play a central role in the future of cosmology, turning what was once regarded as emptiness into one of the most promising frontiers of fundamental science.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Galaxies: Formation Evolution Phenomena Astronomy and Astrophysical Research Electrical and Electromagnetic Research

Publication details

Journal / source
The Astronomy and Astrophysics Review
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Volume
34
Issue
1
Pages
1–1
Publication date
7 April 2026
Language
EN