The r-parallel set to a set A in a Euclidean space consists of all points with distance at most r from A. We clarify the relation between the volume and the surface area of parallel sets and study the asymptotic behaviour of both quantities as r tends to 0. We show, for instance, that in general, the existence of a (suitably rescaled) limit of the surface area implies the existence of the corresponding limit for the volume, known as the Minkowski content. A full characterisation is obtained for the case of self-similar fractal sets. Applications to stationary random sets are discussed as well, in particular, to the trajectory of the Brownian motion.

Let B (“black”) and W (“white”) be disjoint compact test sets in ℝd, and consider the volume of all its simultaneous shifts keeping B inside and W outside a compact set A ⊂ ℝd. If the union B ∪ W is rescaled by a factor tending to zero, then the rescaled volume converges to a value determined by the surface area measure of A and the support functions of B and W, provided that A is regular enough (e.g., polyconvex). An analogous formula is obtained for the case when the conditions B ⊂ A and W ⊂ AC are replaced by prescribed threshold volumes of B in A and W in AC. Applications in stochastic geometry are discussed. First, the hit distribution function of a random set with an arbitrary compact structuring element B is considered. Its derivative at 0 is expressed in terms of the rose of directions and B. An analogous result holds for the hit‐or‐miss function. Second, in a design based setting, different random digitizations of a deterministic set A are treated. It is shown how the number of configurations in such a digitization is related to the surface area measure of A as the lattice distance converges to zero.

We show that for every compact domain in a Euclidean space with d.c. (delta-convex) boundary there exists a unique Legendrian cycle such that the associated curvature measures fulfil a local version of the Gauss-Bonnet formula. This was known in dimensions two and three and was open in higher dimensions. In fact, we show this property for a larger class of sets including also lower-dimensional sets. We also describe the local index function of the Legendrian cycles and we show that the associated curvature measures fulfill the Crofton formula.Comment: 22 pp, corrected versio

No abstract

We give a complete characterization of compact sets with positive reach (=proximally $C^1$ sets) in the plane and of one-dimensional sets with positive reach in ${\mathbb R}^d$. Further, we prove that if $\emptyset \neq A\subset{\mathbb R}^d$ is a set of positive reach of topological dimension $0< k \leq d$, then $A$ has its "$k$-dimensional regular part" $\emptyset \neq R \subset A$ which is a $k$-dimensional "uniform" $C^{1,1}$ manifold open in $A$ and $A\setminus R$ can be locally covered by finitely many $(k-1)$-dimensional DC surfaces. We also show that if $A \subset {\mathbb R}^d$ has positive reach, then $\partial A$ can be locally covered by finitely many semiconcave hypersurfaces