Three-dimensional maximal and boundary ghosts (Q2051151)

In this paper the authors extend to a three-dimensional lattice grid the investigation of recurrence relations associated to maximal ghosts, which was already considered for planar grids by \textit{M. Ceko} et al. [J. Math. Imaging Vis. 63, No. 3, 428--440 (2021; Zbl 1490.68273)]. It is shown that a simple modification of the single two-dimensional recurrence relation fails to work in three dimensions, where the results can instead be achieved by means of a combination of three different recursive sequences. These provide a set of directions that spread the set of ghost points (represented by unitary lattice cubes) like jigsaw pieces, so forming a lattice tiling, whose connectivity is also investigated. The size bounds and the structure of maximal ghosts are then described, showing that the maximal ghost generated from \(N\) directions fits within a cube of size \(4.1\cdot 2^N\), which is, apart from the factor 4.1, the best possible. The obtained results lead to construct boundary ghosts consisting only of a three-dimensional boundary with no interior points.