Large-scale structure: entering the precision era

In recent years, the framework for a plausible theory of large-scale structure formation has emerged: primordial, quasi-scale-invariant perturbations from inflation, which subsequently grow by gravitational instability in a universe with a substantial component of cold dark matter. At the same time, with the development of large galaxy surveys, the precision of statistical measurements of large-scale structure has begun to improve rapidly. In the near future, a new generation of surveys, along with cosmic microwave background missions and other cosmological probes, will probe this structure formation paradigm and ultimately provide clues to the dynamics of inflation itself. This chapter highlights recent progress and expected future developments in our understanding of large-scale structure and in testing the inflationary scenario for its formation.