Interesting Evidence for a Low-Level Oscillation Superimposed on the
  Local Hubble Flow
  Historically the velocity scatter seen on local Hubble plots has been
attributed to the peculiar velocities of individual galaxies. Although most
galaxies also have uncertainties in their distances, when galaxies with
accurate distances are used recent studies have found that these supposed
peculiar velocities may have preferred, or discrete, values. Here we report the
interesting result that when these discrete components are identified and
removed from the radial velocities of the SNeIa galaxies studied in the Hubble
Key Project, there is evidence for a residual oscillation, or ripple,
superimposed on the Hubble flow. This oscillation has a wavelength near 40 Mpc
and, because its amplitude is small compared to that of the scatter in
velocities, it becomes visible only after the discrete components are removed.
This result is interesting because even if this ripple has been produced by a
selection effect, the fact that it is only revealed after the discrete
velocities are removed implies that the discrete velocities are real.
Alternatively, if no selection effect can be identified to explain the ripple,
then both the discrete velocities and the ripple together become very difficult
to explain by chance and these results could then have interesting cosmological
consequences.
