Abstract. We provide the solutions of linear, left-invariant, second order stochastic evolution equations on the 2D Euclidean motion group. These solutions are given by group-convolution with the corresponding Green's functions which we derive in explicit form. A particular case coincides with the hitherto unsolved forward Kolmogorov equation of the so-called direction process, the exact solution of which is required in the field of image analysis for modeling the propagation of lines and contours. By approximating the left-invariant basis of the generators by left-invariant generators of a Heisenberg-type group, we derive simple, analytic approximations of the Green's functions. We provide the explicit connection and a comparison between these approximations and the exact solutions. Finally, we explain the connection between the exact solutions and previous numerical implementations, which we generalize to cope with all linear, left-invariant, second order stochastic evolution equations.

No abstract