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For a scalar function in the BV space, derivative variation is the integral of the relative perimeter measures of its superlevel sets. The formula holds on every Borel subset $A$ of the domain, not just for total mass. It converts the continuous ROF denoising problem into linked minimization problems for finite-perimeter sets.

Suppose $E_g$ minimizes $\mathrm{Per}(E)-{\int }_{E}g$ and $E_h$ minimizes $\mathrm{Per}(E)-{\int }_{E}h$. Compare them with their intersection and union. Adding their optimality inequalities and using submodularity of relative perimeter gives ${\int }_{E_g\setminus E_h}(h-g)\le 0$. Strict ordering forces that set to be null. Applied to $g=(f-t)/\alpha$, this yields nested ROF denoising superlevel sets.

For a nonnegative measurable function $f:X\to [0,\infty ]$ on a measure space, defineThe supremum may be infinite. A simple function assigns finitely many heights to measurable sets, so its integral is height times measure, summed over those pieces. This definition groups points by their values rather than requiring a partition into short intervals. See MIT lecture 11, Definition 108.

A real-valued function is Lebesgue integrable when ${\int }_X|f|d\mu <\infty$. Its integral is ${\int }_X{f}_{+}d\mu -{\int }_X{f}_{-}d\mu$, where $f_{+}=\max (f,0)$ is its positive part and $f_{-}=\max (-f,0)$. This finiteness requirement avoids subtracting two infinities. For functions taking values in the complex numbers, integrate the real part and imaginary part separately.

Consider the Dirichlet function $f=1_{\mathbb{Q}\cap [0,1]}$ on $[0,1]$. It is a simple function, andIts Riemann integral does not exist. For every partition of an interval $0=x_0<\cdots <x_n=1$, each nondegenerate $[x_{i-1},x_i]$ contains both rational numbers and irrational numbers, by their respective density of the rational numbers and density of the irrational numbers. Thus its infimum there is $0$ and its supremum is $1$. The lower Darboux sum is ${\sum }_{i}0(x_i-x_{i-1})=0$, whereas the upper Darboux sum is ${\sum }_{i}1(x_i-x_{i-1})=1$. Refinement never closes this gap. A finite scatterplot cannot represent this behavior: the assertion concerns every subinterval and every partition of an interval.

Another view builds the Lebesgue integral from horizontal layers. For any nonnegative measurable function, the layer cake representation statesBoth sides may be infinite. The right side integrates the measure of a superlevel set against Lebesgue measure in the height variable $t$. See Gautam Iyer's measure theory notes, Theorem 9.5.

For $f(x)=x^2$ on $[0,1]$ with Lebesgue measure, the superlevel set at $0\le t<1$ is $(\sqrt{t},1]$, of Lebesgue measure $1-\sqrt{t}$; for $t\ge 1$ it is empty. ConsequentlyAt height $t=1/4$, the layer extends from $x=1/2$ to $x=1$, a width of $1/2$. The picture shows why the same area can be accumulated vertically or horizontally. In a probability space, the identical formula expresses the expected value of a nonnegative random variable through its exceedance probabilities.

A proof outline avoids extra assumptions on the measure space. For a nonnegative simple function $s={\sum }_j{a}_j{1}_{A_j}$ with disjoint measurable sets $A_j$, the superlevel set has measure ${\sum }_{a_j>t}\mu (A_j)$. Integrating this finite sum gives ${\sum }_j{a}_j\mu (A_j)=\int sd\mu$. Next use approximation by nonnegative simple functions $s_n\uparrow f$. For every $t$, the superlevel sets $\{s_n>t\}$ increase to $\{f>t\}$. Continuity from below of a measure and the monotone convergence theorem on the height variable give the formula for $f$.

For $t\in \mathbb{R}$, define the set functionalThe ROF level-set formulation states that the unique minimizer of $J(u)=\Vert u-f{\Vert }_2^2/2+\alpha \mathrm{TV}(u)$ has superlevel sets minimizing $F_t$ for almost every $t$. Conversely, an admissible $u$ with minimizing superlevel sets is the ROF minimizer. Thus the concise characterization is

The signed layer-cake identity for quadratic fidelity and the coarea formula for BV functions giveIndeed $u^2/2-fu={\int }_{\mathbb{R}}(t-f)({\chi }_{\{u>t\}}-{\chi }_{\{0>t\}})dt$ pointwise. Its absolute integral is bounded by $u^2/2+|fu|$, so Fubini's theorem applies for $u,f\in L^2$. The negative-level baseline is essential; integrating the unadjusted $F_t$ would generally diverge.

Each $F_t$ attains its minimum. A minimizing sequence of indicator functions has bounded $L^1$ norm, and comparison with the empty set bounds its perimeter by an $L^1$ forcing bound. Bounded-variation compactness supplies a limiting indicator function. The forcing integral converges by dominated convergence, while relative perimeter is sequentially lower semicontinuous.

For $s<t$, the supplied comparison lemma applied to $(f-t)/\alpha <(f-s)/\alpha$ makes every selected minimizer $A_t$ contained in $A_s$ up to a null set. The comparison of perimeter minimizers with ordered forcing also follows directly: compare $A_t$ with $A_t\cap A_s$, compare $A_s$ with $A_t\cup A_s$, add and use submodularity of relative perimeter to obtain $(t-s)|A_t\setminus A_s|\le 0$.

Select minimizers at rational levels, remove their countably many exceptional null sets, and reconstruct $v(x)=\sup \{q\in \mathbb{Q}:x\in A_q\}$. The strict superlevel set is $\{v>t\}={\bigcup }_{q>t}{A}_q$. This union also minimizes $F_t$: take $q\downarrow t$, use monotone $L^1$ convergence of its indicator functions and sequential lower semicontinuity, and note that $m(t)={\min }_E{F}_t(E)$ satisfies $|m(t)-m(s)|\le |\Omega ||t-s|$.

To justify finite energy before assuming it, clip this reconstruction to $v_M\in [-M,M]$. Comparison with the empty set gives $\alpha \mathrm{Per}(E_t;\Omega )\le {\int }_{\Omega }|t-f|$ uniformly on a bounded interval of levels. Since $v_M=-M+{\int }_{-M}^M{\chi }_{E_t}dt$, pairing with compactly supported test-field divergences bounds its total variation seminorm by ${\int }_{-M}^M\mathrm{Per}(E_t;\Omega )dt<\infty$. Thus $v_M$ belongs to the BV space before applying the coarea formula for BV functions. The layer-cake argument on the finite interval $[-M,M]$ shows $J(v_M)\le J(T_{M}w)$ for every finite-energy competitor $w$, where $T_M$ is clipping. In particular $w=0$ bounds the $L^2$ norms and variations uniformly. Fatou's lemma excludes infinite values of $v$ on a positive-measure set. Bounded-variation compactness and weak convergence in $L^2$ identify an admissible limit $v$. For any fixed competitor, $T_{M}w\to w$ in $L^2$ and its variation tends to that of $w$, by bounded-variation contraction under clipping and sequential lower semicontinuity. Thus $J(v)\le J(w)$.

The quadratic fidelity is strictly convex, so every ROF minimizer equals $v$ almost everywhere and has the selected minimizing superlevel sets. Conversely, for any $u$ whose levels minimize $F_t$, integrate the levelwise inequality against any competitor's levels in the displayed identity to obtain $J(u)\le J(w)$. This proves both directions for signed as well as nonnegative data.

For $u\ge 0$, let ${\mathcal{C}}_u$ be the collection of interval components of the superlevel set $\{r:g(r)\ge u\}$. Two times $s,t$ lie in the same member of ${\mathcal{C}}_u$ exactly when $u\le m_g(s,t)$. ThereforeFor arbitrary real ${\lambda }_1,\dots ,{\lambda }_n$, the Tonelli theorem now givesThus $(m_g(s_i,s_j){)}_{i,j}$ is a positive semidefinite matrix.

The scalar ROF denoising minimizer has perimeter-plus-forcing minimizing superlevel sets at almost every height. Conversely any finite-energy function with that property minimizes the full energy. The signed layer-cake identity for quadratic fidelity and coarea formula for BV functions prove sufficiency. To prove necessity, construct nested minimizing sets using comparison of perimeter minimizers with ordered forcing, reconstruct a function from rational levels, clip to establish energy bounds, and use uniqueness from strict convexity of the squared fidelity.

For a scalar BV space function, clipping to $[-M,M]$ partitions its coarea formula for BV functions into middle and tail levels. The clipped function has the original superlevel sets at heights in $(-M,M)$. The positive tail levels of $u-T_{M}u$ correspond to original heights above $M$, and its negative tail levels to heights below $-M$. Thus their total variation seminorms add exactly. This is stronger than the triangle inequality and is specific to scalar monotone clipping. It supports residual-preserving clipping of an ROF minimizer.

A simple function is a measurable function whose image is a finite set. Its value sets $A_j=\{x:s(x)=a_j\}$ form a finite measurable partition. For nonnegative $a_j$, its Lebesgue integral is ${\sum }_j{a}_j\mu (A_j)$, with the convention $0\cdot \infty =0$. The pieces need not be intervals, or even connected sets. See MIT lecture 10, Definitions 100 and 106.

For example, on $[0,1]$ let $s$ be $2$ on $[0,1/4)$, $1$ on $[1/4,3/4)$, and $0$ on $[3/4,1]$. Its Lebesgue integral is $2(1/4)+1(1/2)=1$. Its superlevel sets have Lebesgue measure $3/4$ for $0\le t<1$, $1/4$ for $1\le t<2$, and $0$ thereafter. The layer cake representation gives the same answer: $(3/4)(1)+(1/4)(1)=1$. These two calculations are the building blocks of the general Lebesgue integral.