Shapefinders: A new shape diagnostic for large scale structure
  We construct a set of shape-finders which determine shapes of compact surfaces (iso-density surfaces in galaxy surveys or N-body simulations) without fitting them to ellipsoidal configurations as done earlier. The new indicators arise from simple, geometrical considerations and are derived from fundamental properties of a surface such as its volume, surface area, integrated mean curvature and connectivity characterized by the Genus. These `Shapefinders' could be used to diagnose the presence of filaments, pancakes and ribbons in large scale structure. Their lower-dimensional generalization may be useful for the study of two-dimensional distributions such as temperature maps of the Cosmic Microwave Background. 
Varun Sahni (IUCAA), B.S. Sathyaprakash (Cardiff University of Wales)   and Sergei F. Shandarin (University of Kansas)