The Finite Primitive Basis Theorem for Computational Imaging: Formal Foundations of the OperatorGraph Representation

Fuente: arXiv
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Autore principale: Yang, Chengshuai
Natura: Preprint
Pubblicazione: 2026
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author Yang, Chengshuai
author_facet Yang, Chengshuai
contents Computational imaging forward models, from coded aperture spectral cameras to MRI scanners, are traditionally implemented as monolithic, modality-specific codes. We prove that every forward model in a broad, precisely defined operator class Cimg (encompassing clinical, scientific, and industrial imaging modalities, both linear and nonlinear) admits an epsilon-approximate representation as a typed directed acyclic graph (DAG) whose nodes are drawn from a library of exactly 11 canonical primitives: Propagate, Modulate, Project, Encode, Convolve, Accumulate, Detect, Sample, Disperse, Scatter, and Transform. We call this the Finite Primitive Basis Theorem. The proof is constructive: we provide an algorithm that, given any H in Cimg, produces a DAG G with relative operator error at most epsilon and graph complexity within prescribed bounds. We further prove that the library is minimal: removing any single primitive causes at least one modality to lose its epsilon-approximate representation. A systematic analysis of nonlinearities in imaging physics shows they fall into two structural categories: pointwise scalar functions (handled by Transform) and self-consistent iterations (unrolled into existing linear primitives). Empirical validation on 31 linear modalities confirms eimg below 0.01 with at most 5 nodes and depth 5, and we provide constructive DAG decompositions for 9 additional nonlinear modalities. These results establish mathematical foundations for the Physics World Model (PWM) framework.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2602_20550
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle The Finite Primitive Basis Theorem for Computational Imaging: Formal Foundations of the OperatorGraph Representation
Yang, Chengshuai
Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition
Computational imaging forward models, from coded aperture spectral cameras to MRI scanners, are traditionally implemented as monolithic, modality-specific codes. We prove that every forward model in a broad, precisely defined operator class Cimg (encompassing clinical, scientific, and industrial imaging modalities, both linear and nonlinear) admits an epsilon-approximate representation as a typed directed acyclic graph (DAG) whose nodes are drawn from a library of exactly 11 canonical primitives: Propagate, Modulate, Project, Encode, Convolve, Accumulate, Detect, Sample, Disperse, Scatter, and Transform. We call this the Finite Primitive Basis Theorem. The proof is constructive: we provide an algorithm that, given any H in Cimg, produces a DAG G with relative operator error at most epsilon and graph complexity within prescribed bounds. We further prove that the library is minimal: removing any single primitive causes at least one modality to lose its epsilon-approximate representation. A systematic analysis of nonlinearities in imaging physics shows they fall into two structural categories: pointwise scalar functions (handled by Transform) and self-consistent iterations (unrolled into existing linear primitives). Empirical validation on 31 linear modalities confirms eimg below 0.01 with at most 5 nodes and depth 5, and we provide constructive DAG decompositions for 9 additional nonlinear modalities. These results establish mathematical foundations for the Physics World Model (PWM) framework.
title The Finite Primitive Basis Theorem for Computational Imaging: Formal Foundations of the OperatorGraph Representation
topic Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2602.20550