Improving Bayesian inference in PTA data analysis: importance nested sampling with Normalizing Flows

Fuente: arXiv
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Autori principali: Villa, Eleonora, Shaifullah, Golam Mohiuddin, Possenti, Andrea, Carbone, Carmelita
Natura: Preprint
Pubblicazione: 2025
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author Villa, Eleonora
Shaifullah, Golam Mohiuddin
Possenti, Andrea
Carbone, Carmelita
author_facet Villa, Eleonora
Shaifullah, Golam Mohiuddin
Possenti, Andrea
Carbone, Carmelita
contents We present a detailed study of Bayesian inference workflows for pulsar timing array data with a focus on enhancing efficiency, robustness and speed through the use of normalizing flow-based nested sampling. Building on the Enterprise framework, we integrate the i-nessai sampler and benchmark its performance on realistic, simulated datasets. We analyze its computational scaling and stability, and show that it achieves accurate posteriors and reliable evidence estimates with substantially reduced runtime, by up to three orders of magnitude depending on the dataset configuration, with respect to conventional single-core parallel-tempering MCMC analyses. These results highlight the potential of flow-based nested sampling to accelerate PTA analyses while preserving the quality of the inference.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2511_01958
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Improving Bayesian inference in PTA data analysis: importance nested sampling with Normalizing Flows
Villa, Eleonora
Shaifullah, Golam Mohiuddin
Possenti, Andrea
Carbone, Carmelita
Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics
Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics
High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
Machine Learning
We present a detailed study of Bayesian inference workflows for pulsar timing array data with a focus on enhancing efficiency, robustness and speed through the use of normalizing flow-based nested sampling. Building on the Enterprise framework, we integrate the i-nessai sampler and benchmark its performance on realistic, simulated datasets. We analyze its computational scaling and stability, and show that it achieves accurate posteriors and reliable evidence estimates with substantially reduced runtime, by up to three orders of magnitude depending on the dataset configuration, with respect to conventional single-core parallel-tempering MCMC analyses. These results highlight the potential of flow-based nested sampling to accelerate PTA analyses while preserving the quality of the inference.
title Improving Bayesian inference in PTA data analysis: importance nested sampling with Normalizing Flows
topic Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics
Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics
High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
Machine Learning
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2511.01958