Title: Tensor Minkowski Functionals for random fields on the sphere,
Abstract: We generalize the translation invariant tensor-valued Minkowski Functionals
which are defined on two-dimensional flat space to the unit sphere. We apply
them to level sets of random fields. The contours enclosing boundaries of level
sets of random fields give a spatial distribution of random smooth closed
curves. We obtain analytic expressions for the ensemble expectation values for
the matrix elements of the tensor-valued Minkowski Functionals for isotropic
Gaussian and Rayleigh fields. We elucidate the way in which the elements of the
tensor Minkowski Functionals encode information about the nature and
statistical isotropy (or departure from isotropy) of the field. We then
implement our method to compute the tensor-valued Minkowski Functionals
numerically and demonstrate how they encode statistical anisotropy and
departure from Gaussianity by applying the method to maps of the Galactic
foreground emissions from the PLANCK data.