On the fractal structure of galaxy distribution and its implications for cosmology.

Two fundamental empirical laws have been established in the analysis of galaxy space distribution. First, recent analyses have revealed that the three-dimensional distribution of galaxies and clusters is characterized by large-scale structures and huge voids: such a distribution shows fractal correlations up to the limits of the available samples. This has confirmed the earlier de Vaucouleurs power-law density-distance relation, now corresponding to a fractal structure with dimension D ? 2, at least, in the range of scales ?1 - 200 Mpc (H0 = 55 km/sec/Mpc). An eventual cut-off towards homogenization has not been yet identified. Second, since Hubble's discovery, the linear redshift-distance law has been well established within 200 Mpc and also much deeper. The co-existence of these laws within the same scales is a challenge for the standard cosmology, where the linear Hubble law is a strict consequence of homogeneity of the expanding universe. This puzzle is now sufficiently strong to raise doubts for the standard cosmology.