TESTING COSMOLOGICAL MODELS WITH COBE DATA

We test cosmological models with Omega < 1 using the COBE two-year cro ss-correlation function by means of a maximum-likelihood test with Mon te Carlo realizations of several Omega models. Assuming a Harrison-Zel 'dovich primordial power spectrum with amplitude proportional to Q, it is found that there is a large region in the (Omega, Q), parameter sp ace that fits the data equally well. We find that the flatness of the universe is not implied by the data. A summary of other analyses of CO BE data to constrain the shape of the primordial spectrum is presented .