The statistical clustering of pregalactic objects and resultant astrophysical consequences in cosmologies with Cold Dark Matter

The shallow slope of the n = 1 adiabatic Cold Dark Matter spectrum leads to an enhanced clustering of very overdense subgalactic scale peaks – of characteristic size 10–2 Mpc – into the overdense regions on very much larger scales. This effect may be significant on scales up to that of a galaxy (~1 Mpc). This result is considered in conjunction with simple astrophysical mechanisms – photoionizing radiation and supernova explosions – resulting from the formation of stars in the first small-scale peaks. It is shown that this kind of feedback may promote the formation of further structure in the high overdensities ($\gtrsim2\sigma $) on galaxy scales before the gravitational condensation of these large regions.