Concentration of Empirical First-Passage Times

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Hauptverfasser: Bebon, Rick, Godec, Aljaz
Format: Preprint
Veröffentlicht: 2025
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author Bebon, Rick
Godec, Aljaz
author_facet Bebon, Rick
Godec, Aljaz
contents First-passage properties are central to the kinetics of target-search processes. Theoretical approaches so far primarily focused on predicting first-passage statistics for a given process or model. In practice, however, one faces the reverse problem of inferring first-passage statistics from, typically sub-sampled, experimental or simulation data. Obtaining trustworthy estimates from under-sampled data and unknown underlying dynamics remains a daunting task, and the assessment of the uncertainty is imperative. In this chapter, we highlight recent progress in understanding and controlling finite-sample effects in empirical first-passage times of reversible Markov processes. Precisely, we present concentration inequalities bounding from above the deviations of the sample mean for any sample size from the true mean first-passage time and construct non-asymptotic confidence intervals. Moreover, we present two-sided bounds on the range of fluctuations, i.e, deviations of the expected maximum and minimum from the mean in any given sample, which control uncertainty even in situations where the mean is a priori not a sufficient statistic.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2501_03810
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Concentration of Empirical First-Passage Times
Bebon, Rick
Godec, Aljaz
Statistical Mechanics
Soft Condensed Matter
Mathematical Physics
Probability
Statistics Theory
First-passage properties are central to the kinetics of target-search processes. Theoretical approaches so far primarily focused on predicting first-passage statistics for a given process or model. In practice, however, one faces the reverse problem of inferring first-passage statistics from, typically sub-sampled, experimental or simulation data. Obtaining trustworthy estimates from under-sampled data and unknown underlying dynamics remains a daunting task, and the assessment of the uncertainty is imperative. In this chapter, we highlight recent progress in understanding and controlling finite-sample effects in empirical first-passage times of reversible Markov processes. Precisely, we present concentration inequalities bounding from above the deviations of the sample mean for any sample size from the true mean first-passage time and construct non-asymptotic confidence intervals. Moreover, we present two-sided bounds on the range of fluctuations, i.e, deviations of the expected maximum and minimum from the mean in any given sample, which control uncertainty even in situations where the mean is a priori not a sufficient statistic.
title Concentration of Empirical First-Passage Times
topic Statistical Mechanics
Soft Condensed Matter
Mathematical Physics
Probability
Statistics Theory
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2501.03810