  We extend a Gaussian model for the internal electrical potential of a
two-dimensional Coulomb gas by a non-Gaussian measure term, which singles out
the physically relevant configurations of the potential. The resulting
Hamiltonian, expressed as a functional of the internal potential, has a
surprising large-scale limit: The additional term simply counts the number of
maxima and minima of the potential. The model allows for a transparent
derivation of the divergence of the correlation length upon lowering the
temperature down to the Kosterlitz-Thouless transition point.
