Log Gaussian Cox processes on the sphere

We define and study the existence of log Gaussian Cox processes (LGCPs) for the description of inhomogeneous and aggregated/clustered point patterns on the d-dimensional sphere, with d = 2 of primary interest. Useful theoretical properties of LGCPs are studied and applied for the description of sky positions of galaxies, in comparison with previous analysis using a Thomas process. We focus on simple estimation procedures and model checking based on functional summary statistics and the global envelope test.