Exchangeable random permutations with an application to Bayesian graph matching

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Gaffi, Francesco, Josephs, Nathaniel, Lin, Lizhen
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
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author Gaffi, Francesco
Josephs, Nathaniel
Lin, Lizhen
author_facet Gaffi, Francesco
Josephs, Nathaniel
Lin, Lizhen
contents We introduce a general Bayesian framework for graph matching grounded in a new theory of exchangeable random permutations. Leveraging the cycle representation of permutations and the literature on exchangeable random partitions, we define, characterize, and study the structural and predictive properties of these probabilistic objects. A novel sequential metaphor, the position-aware generalized Chinese restaurant process, provides a constructive foundation for this theory and supports practical algorithmic design. Exchangeable random permutations offer flexible priors for a wide range of inferential problems centered on permutations. As an application, we develop a Bayesian model for graph matching that integrates a correlated stochastic block model with our novel class of priors. The cycle structure of the matching is linked to latent node partitions that explain connectivity patterns, an assumption consistent with the homogeneity requirement underlying the graph matching task itself. Posterior inference is performed through a node-wise blocked Gibbs sampler directly enabled by the proposed sequential construction. To summarize posterior uncertainty, we introduce perSALSO, an adaptation of SALSO to the permutation domain that provides principled point estimation and interpretable posterior summaries. Together, these contributions establish a unified probabilistic framework for modeling, inference, and uncertainty quantification over permutations.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2602_01993
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Exchangeable random permutations with an application to Bayesian graph matching
Gaffi, Francesco
Josephs, Nathaniel
Lin, Lizhen
Methodology
Statistics Theory
We introduce a general Bayesian framework for graph matching grounded in a new theory of exchangeable random permutations. Leveraging the cycle representation of permutations and the literature on exchangeable random partitions, we define, characterize, and study the structural and predictive properties of these probabilistic objects. A novel sequential metaphor, the position-aware generalized Chinese restaurant process, provides a constructive foundation for this theory and supports practical algorithmic design. Exchangeable random permutations offer flexible priors for a wide range of inferential problems centered on permutations. As an application, we develop a Bayesian model for graph matching that integrates a correlated stochastic block model with our novel class of priors. The cycle structure of the matching is linked to latent node partitions that explain connectivity patterns, an assumption consistent with the homogeneity requirement underlying the graph matching task itself. Posterior inference is performed through a node-wise blocked Gibbs sampler directly enabled by the proposed sequential construction. To summarize posterior uncertainty, we introduce perSALSO, an adaptation of SALSO to the permutation domain that provides principled point estimation and interpretable posterior summaries. Together, these contributions establish a unified probabilistic framework for modeling, inference, and uncertainty quantification over permutations.
title Exchangeable random permutations with an application to Bayesian graph matching
topic Methodology
Statistics Theory
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2602.01993