Visualizing Disequilibrium: Tracing Two-Point Correlations to Specific Spatial Structures in the Milky Way

[2608.26513] Visualizing Disequilibrium: Tracing Two-Point Correlations to Specific Spatial Structures in the Milky Way Skip to main content Search Submit Donate Log in Astrophysics > Astrophysics of Galaxies arXiv:2608.26513 (astro-ph) [Submitted on 27 Aug 2026] Title: Visualizing Disequilibrium: Tracing Two-Point Correlations to Specific Spatial Structures in the Milky Way Authors: Austin Hinkel , Josephine Vanzant View PDF HTML (experimental) Abstract: The Two-Point Correlation Function can be used to demonstrate the existence of substructure within a dataset, but typical implementations do not track the individual points which contribute to each specific substructure. In this paper, we develop an algorithm that traces a two-point correlation signal back to the contributions of each data point, allowing for structure to be visualized in novel ways. Using this tool, we find substantial evidence for pervasive spatial clustering in the Milky Way and reveal complex undulations that warp the previously discovered vertical density waves. We also explore the ``clumping" of stars in the thick disk and near-halo regions and discuss the possibility of dating the structure. Comments: Published in the Open Journal of Astrophysics Subjects: Astrophysics of Galaxies (astro-ph.GA) Cite as: arXiv:2608.26513 [astro-ph.GA] (or arXiv:2608.26513v1 [astro-ph.GA] for this version) https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2608.26513 Focus to learn more arXiv-issued DOI via DataCite Related DOI : https://doi.org/10.33232/001c.168760 Focus to learn more DOI(s) linking to related resources Submission history From: Austin Hinkel [ view email ] [v1] Thu, 27 Aug 2026 01:30:05 UTC (3,560 KB) Full-text links: Access Paper: View PDF HTML (experimental) TeX Source view license Current browse context: astro-ph.GA < prev | next > new | recent | 2026-08 Change to browse by: astro-ph References & Citations SciX Google Scholar Semantic Scholar export BibTeX citation Bookmark Bibliographic Tools Bibliographic and Citation Tools Bibliographic Explorer Toggle Bibliographic Explorer ( What is the Explorer? ) Connected Papers Toggle Connected Papers ( What is Connected Papers? ) Litmaps Toggle Litmaps ( What is Litmaps? ) scite.ai Toggle scite Smart Citations ( What are Smart Citations? ) Code, Data, Media Code, Data and Media Associated with this Article alphaXiv Toggle alphaXiv ( What is alphaXiv? ) Links to Code Toggle CatalyzeX Code Finder for Papers ( What is CatalyzeX? ) DagsHub Toggle DagsHub ( What is DagsHub? ) GotitPub Toggle Gotit.pub ( What is GotitPub? ) Huggingface Toggle Hugging Face ( What is Huggingface? ) ScienceCast Toggle ScienceCast ( What is ScienceCast? ) Demos Demos Replicate Toggle Replicate ( What is Replicate? ) Spaces Toggle Hugging Face Spaces ( What is Spaces? ) Spaces Toggle TXYZ.AI ( What is TXYZ.AI? ) Related Papers Recommenders and Search Tools Link to Influence Flower Influence Flower ( What are Influence Flowers? ) Core recommender toggle CORE Recommender ( What is CORE? ) IArxiv recommender toggle IArxiv Recommender ( What is IArxiv? ) Author Venue Institution Topic About arXivLabs arXivLabs: experimental projects with community collaborators arXivLabs is a framework that allows collaborators to develop and share new arXiv features directly on our website. Both individuals and organizations that work with arXivLabs have embraced and accepted our values of openness, community, excellence, and user data privacy. arXiv is committed to these values and only works with partners that adhere to them. Have an idea for a project that will add value for arXiv's community? Learn more about arXivLabs . Which authors of this paper are endorsers? | Disable MathJax ( What is MathJax? ) We gratefully acknowledge support from our major funders , member institutions , and all contributors. About · Help · Contact · Subscribe · Copyright · Privacy · Accessibility · Operational Status (opens in new tab)

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