On the probability that a random point is the jth nearest neighbour to its own kth nearest neighbour

Abstract

In a homogeneous Poisson process in R d , consider an arbitrary point X and let Y be its kth nearest neighbour. Denote by Rk the rank of X in the proximity order defined by Y, i.e., Rk = j if X is the jth nearest neighbour to Y. A representation for Rk in terms of a sum of independent random variables is obtained, and the limiting distribution of Rk, as k →∞, is shown to be normal. This result generalizes to mixtures of Poisson processes.