No Hubble bubble in the local universe

Abstract

Zehavi et al. have suggested that the Hubble flow within 70 h(-1) Mpc may be accelerated by the existence of a void centered on the Local Group. Its underdensity would be similar to 20%, which would result in a local Hubble distortion of about 6.5%. We have combined the peculiar velocity data of two samples of clusters of galaxies, SCI and SCII, to investigate the amplitude of Hubble distortions to 200 h(-1) Mpc. Our results are not supportive of that conclusion. The amplitude of a possible distortion in the Hubble flow within 70 h(-1) Mpc in the SCI+SCII merged data is 0.010 +/- 0.022. The largest, and still quite marginal, geocentric deviation from smooth Hubble how consistent with that data set is a shell with Delta H-0/H-0 = 0.027 +/- 0.023, centered at hd = 101 Mpc and extending over some 30 h(-1) Mpc. Our results are thus consistent with a Hubble flow that, on distances in excess of similar to 50 h(-1) Mpc, is remarkably smooth.