Friday, October 26, 2012

1210.6871 (T. H. Beuman et al.)

Critical points of a non-Gaussian random field    [PDF]

T. H. Beuman, A. M. Turner, V. Vitelli
Random fields in nature often have, to a good approximation, Gaussian characteristics. We present the mathematical framework for a new and simple method for investigating the non-Gaussian contributions, based on counting the maxima and minima of a scalar field. We consider a random surface, whose height is given by a nonlinear function of a Gaussian field. We find that, as a result of the non-Gaussianity, the density of maxima and minima no longer match and calculate the relative imbalance between the two. Our approach allows to detect and quantify non-Gaussianities present in any random field that can be represented as the height of a smooth two-dimensional surface.
View original: http://arxiv.org/abs/1210.6871

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