Quantile Importance Sampling

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Datta, Jyotishka, Polson, Nicholas G.
Format: Preprint
Published: 2023
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author Datta, Jyotishka
Polson, Nicholas G.
author_facet Datta, Jyotishka
Polson, Nicholas G.
contents In Bayesian inference, the approximation of integrals of the form $ψ= \mathbb{E}_{F}{l(X)} = \int_χ l(\mathbf{x}) d F(\mathbf{x})$ is a fundamental challenge. Such integrals are crucial for evidence estimation, which is important for various purposes, including model selection and numerical analysis. The existing strategies for evidence estimation are classified into four categories: deterministic approximation, density estimation, importance sampling, and vertical representation (Llorente et al., 2020). In this paper, we show that the Riemann sum estimator due to Yakowitz (1978) can be used in the context of nested sampling (Skilling, 2006) to achieve a $O(n^{-4})$ rate of convergence, faster than the usual Ergodic Central Limit Theorem. We provide a brief overview of the literature on the Riemann sum estimators and the nested sampling algorithm and its connections to vertical likelihood Monte Carlo. We provide theoretical and numerical arguments to show how merging these two ideas may result in improved and more robust estimators for evidence estimation, especially in higher dimensional spaces. We also briefly discuss the idea of simulating the Lorenz curve that avoids the problem of intractable $Λ$ functions, essential for the vertical representation and nested sampling.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2305_03158
institution arXiv
publishDate 2023
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Quantile Importance Sampling
Datta, Jyotishka
Polson, Nicholas G.
Computation
Methodology
65C05, 62F15
In Bayesian inference, the approximation of integrals of the form $ψ= \mathbb{E}_{F}{l(X)} = \int_χ l(\mathbf{x}) d F(\mathbf{x})$ is a fundamental challenge. Such integrals are crucial for evidence estimation, which is important for various purposes, including model selection and numerical analysis. The existing strategies for evidence estimation are classified into four categories: deterministic approximation, density estimation, importance sampling, and vertical representation (Llorente et al., 2020). In this paper, we show that the Riemann sum estimator due to Yakowitz (1978) can be used in the context of nested sampling (Skilling, 2006) to achieve a $O(n^{-4})$ rate of convergence, faster than the usual Ergodic Central Limit Theorem. We provide a brief overview of the literature on the Riemann sum estimators and the nested sampling algorithm and its connections to vertical likelihood Monte Carlo. We provide theoretical and numerical arguments to show how merging these two ideas may result in improved and more robust estimators for evidence estimation, especially in higher dimensional spaces. We also briefly discuss the idea of simulating the Lorenz curve that avoids the problem of intractable $Λ$ functions, essential for the vertical representation and nested sampling.
title Quantile Importance Sampling
topic Computation
Methodology
65C05, 62F15
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2305.03158