Local Lagrangian approximations for the evolution of the density distribution function in large-scale structure

We examine local Lagrangian approximations for the gravitational evolution of the density distribution function. In these approximations, the final density at a Lagrangian point q at a time t is taken to be a function only of t and the initial density at the same Lagrangian point. A general expression is given for the evolved density distribution function for such approximations, and we show that the vertex generating function for a local Lagrangian mapping applied to an initially Gaussian density field bears a simple relation to the mapping itself. Using this result, we design a local Lagrangian mapping which reproduces nearly exactly the hierarchical amplitudes given by perturbation theory for gravitational evolution. When extended to smoothed density fields and applied to Gaussian initial conditions, this mapping produces a final density distribution function in excellent agreement with full numerical simulations of gravitational clustering. We also examine the application of these local Lagrangian approximations to non-Gaussian initial conditions.