In probability theory, a Cox process, also known as a doubly stochastic Poisson process is a point process which is a generalization of a Poisson process where the intensity that varies across the underlying mathematical space (often space or time) is itself a stochastic process. The process is named after the statistician David Cox, who first published the model in 1955.[1]

Cox processes are used to generate simulations of spike trains (the sequence of action potentials generated by a neuron),[2] and also in financial mathematics where they produce a "useful framework for modeling prices of financial instruments in which credit risk is a significant factor."[3]

Definition

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Let   be a random measure.

A random measure   is called a Cox process directed by  , if   is a Poisson process with intensity measure  .

Here,   is the conditional distribution of  , given  .

Laplace transform

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If   is a Cox process directed by  , then   has the Laplace transform

 

for any positive, measurable function  .

See also

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References

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Notes
  1. ^ Cox, D. R. (1955). "Some Statistical Methods Connected with Series of Events". Journal of the Royal Statistical Society. 17 (2): 129–164. doi:10.1111/j.2517-6161.1955.tb00188.x.
  2. ^ Krumin, M.; Shoham, S. (2009). "Generation of Spike Trains with Controlled Auto- and Cross-Correlation Functions". Neural Computation. 21 (6): 1642–1664. doi:10.1162/neco.2009.08-08-847. PMID 19191596.
  3. ^ Lando, David (1998). "On cox processes and credit risky securities". Review of Derivatives Research. 2 (2–3): 99–120. doi:10.1007/BF01531332.
Bibliography