Identification and isotropy characterization of deformed random fields through excursion sets

Abstract

Abstract A deterministic application θ:ℝ2→ℝ2 deforms bijectively and regularly the plane and allows the construction of a deformed random field X∘θ:ℝ2→ℝ from a regular, stationary, and isotropic random field X:ℝ2→ℝ. The deformed field X∘θ is, in general, not isotropic (and not even stationary), however, we provide an explicit characterization of the deformations θ that preserve the isotropy. Further assuming that X is Gaussian, we introduce a weak form of isotropy of the field X∘θ, defined by an invariance property of the mean Euler characteristic of some of its excursion sets. We prove that deformed fields satisfying this property are strictly isotropic. In addition, we are able to identify θ, assuming that the mean Euler characteristic of excursion sets of X∘θ over some basic domain is known.