Multifractal measures,especially for the geophysicist

This text is addressed to both the beginner and the seasoned professional, geology being used as the main but not the sole illustration. The goal is to present an alternative approach to multifractals, extending and streamlining the original approach inMandelbrot (1974). The generalization from fractalsets to multifractalmeasures involves the passage from geometric objects that are characterized primarily by one number, namely a fractal dimension, to geometric objects that are characterized primarily by a function. The best is to choose the function (), which is a limit probability distribution that has been plotted suitably, on double logarithmic scales. The quantity is called Hölder exponent. In terms of the alternative functionf() used in the approach of Frisch-Parisi and of Halseyet al., one has ()=f()–E for measures supported by the Euclidean space of dimensionE. Whenf()0,f() is a fractal dimension. However, one may havef()<0, in which case is called latent. One may even have <0, in which case is called virtual. These anomalies' implications are explored, and experiments are suggested. Of central concern in this paper is the study of low-dimensional cuts through high-dimensional multifractals. This introduces a quantityD_q, which is shown forq>1 to be a critical dimension for the cuts. An enhanced multifractal diagram is drawn, includingf(), a function called (q) andD_q.This text incorporatesand supersedesMandelbrot (1988). A more detailed treatment, in preparation, will incorporateMandelbrot (1989).