Density fluctuation models and low-order harmonics in the background radiation anisotropy

Recent experiments on the large-scale angular distribution of the cosmic background radiation suggest that anisotropies of cosmological origin may have been detected, and encourage us to investigate the possible connection between the anisotropies and the structure of the universe. In this paper the authors consider linear perturbations of the cosmic matter density with size larger than the particle horizon at the last scattering of the radiation. (This limitation implies that λ >∼ 102 Mpc at the present epoch if the last scattering occurred at z = 103.) (Auth.)