  The topology of the Las Campanas Redshift Survey is analyzed using Minkowski
functional statistics, taking into account the selection effects of the survey.
The results are compared with the predictions of some toy models of structure
formation, including the Standard Cold Dark Matter Model and topological
defect-based models. All of the toy models have a scale invariant primordial
spectrum of perturbations, but quite different topologies. The statistics can
discriminate between the predictions of the models with high significance.
Amongst the four Minkowski functionals, the integrated mean curvature statistic
appears to be the most powerful discriminant, followed by the genus statistic.
None of the models considered gives an acceptable fit to the data.

Astrophysics;High Energy Physics - Phenomenology