Joint statistics of combined first- and second-order random processes

Two-term Volterra series are often used to describe non-linear random processes in subject areas as diverse as communication theory and the dynamics of offshore structures. It is well known that the characteristic function, the moments and the cumulants of such processes can be calculated analytically and that the probability density function can be calculated accurately and efficiently. This paper considers the joint statistics between two such random processes by deriving: (i) an exact expression for the joint characteristic function; (ii) an efficient means for calculating the joint moments; (iii) an ‘exact’ numerical means for calculating the joint probability density function (jpdf). For the special case of a combined first- and second-order process and a pure first-order process it is shown that it is possible to derive analytical expressions for the characteristic function and to calculate the jpdf accurately and efficiently using saddle-point integration. In addition to the above, the maximum entropy principle is used to calculate the jpdf.