THE PHENOMENOLOGICAL STATUS OF LATE-TIME PHASE-TRANSITION MODELS AFTER COSMIC BACKGROUND-RADIATION ANISOTROPY MEASUREMENTS

Some relatively model-independent results for structure formation via late time phase transitions (LTPT) are discussed. In particular, gener ic LTPT power spectra are presented. The implication of the recent COB E detection of the cosmic background radiation (CBR) anisotropy at lar ge angular scales (greater than or similar to 7 degrees) and the tight upper limits from small angular scales (similar to 1 degrees) to LTPT models are discussed. Special attention is focused on the observation al constraints and possible non-Gaussian signatures of CBR temperature anisotropies from LTPT and other non-Gaussian models. It is shown tha t while LTPT have been seriously constrained by the recent data, viabl e models do remain which provide more power on the 100-200 Mpc scales than do more traditional primordial Gaussian density fluctuation model s. Tests for such models are presented, including possible anisotropie s on angular scales less than 8'.