  Most cosmological structures in the universe spin. Although structures in the
universe form on a wide variety of scales from small dwarf galaxies to large
super clusters, the generation of angular momentum across these scales is
poorly understood. We have investigated the possibility that filaments of
galaxies - cylindrical tendrils of matter hundreds of millions of light-years
across, are themselves spinning. By stacking thousands of filaments together
and examining the velocity of galaxies perpendicular to the filament's axis
(via their red and blue shift), we have found that these objects too display
motion consistent with rotation making them the largest objects known to have
angular momentum. The strength of the rotation signal is directly dependent on
the viewing angle and the dynamical state of the filament. Just as it is
easiest to measure rotation in a spinning disk galaxy viewed edge on, so too is
filament rotation clearly detected under similar geometric alignment.
Furthermore, the mass of the haloes that sit at either end of the filaments
also increases the spin speed. The more massive the haloes, the more rotation
is detected. These results signify that angular momentum can be generated on
unprecedented scales.
