  By proposing a statistic for the detection of secondary (Doppler) peaks in
the CMBR power spectrum, the significance level at which such peaks may be
detected are computed for a large range of model CMBR experiments. In
particular, we investigate experimental design features required to distinguish
between competing cosmological theories, such as cosmic strings and inflation,
by establishing whether or not secondary peaks are present in the CMBR power
spectrum.

Astrophysics