Poisson overlapping microballs: self-similarity and X-ray images

Abstract

We study a random field obtained by counting the number of balls containing each point, when overlapping balls are thrown at random according to a Poisson random measure. We are particularly interested in the local asymptotical self-similarity (lass) properties of the field, as well as the action of X-ray transforms. We discover two different lass properties when considering the asymptotic either "in law" or "on the second order moment" and prove a relationship between the lass behavior of the field and the lass behavior of its X-ray transform. We also describe a microscopic process which leads to a multifractional behavior. These results can be exploited to model and analyze granular media, images or connections network.