Topology of the Las Campanas Redshift Survey

The topology of the Las Campanas Redshift Survey is analysed 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 Minkowski functionals can discriminate between the predictions of the models with high significance. Amongst the four functionals, the integrated mean curvature statistic appears to be the most powerful discriminant, followed by the genus statistic. These two functionals can be used to differentiate between the signatures of primordial Gaussian and non-Gaussian phases. None of the models considered gives an acceptable fit to the data.