We propose a binary Markov Random Field (MRF) model
that assigns high probability to regions in the image domain
consisting of an unknown number of circles of a given radius.
We construct the model by discretizing the ‘gas of circles’
phase field model in a principled way, thereby creating an
‘equivalent’MRF. The behaviour of the resultingMRF model
is analyzed, and the performance of the new model is demonstrated
on various synthetic images as well as on the problem
of tree crown detection in aerial images.