In the framework of the center vortex picture of confinement, the nature of
the deconfining phase transition is studied. Using recently developed
techniques which allow to associate a center vortex configuration with any
given lattice gauge configuration, it is demonstrated that the confining phase
is a phase in which vortices percolate, whereas the deconfined phase is a phase
in which vortices cease to percolate if one considers an appropriate slice of
space-time.Comment: 9 pages, 3 ps figures included via epsfig; invited talk presented by
M. Engelhardt at the Eleventh International Light-Cone Workshop on "New
directions in Quantum Chromodynamics", Kyungju, Korea, 21.-25.6.99, to appear
in the proceeding
