The era of precision cosmology with voids

TL;DR

Cosmic voids serve as powerful, underutilized tools in precision cosmology, offering unique insights into fundamental physics and the standard cosmological model through advanced statistical and observational methods.

Contribution

This review synthesizes recent theoretical, observational, and statistical advancements in void science, emphasizing their growing role in constraining cosmological parameters and testing fundamental physics.

Findings

Void-based observables provide competitive constraints on cosmological parameters.

Synergy between voids and other probes enhances precision in cosmological measurements.

Future surveys will significantly improve void-based cosmological constraints.

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 survey data and expected from future missions. 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.