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Function-space posterior propriety from a common lower envelope
Statement
Let be a separable real Banach space with norm , let be Borel, and let be a Borel probability on with . Here is generated by the norm-open sets. Give the relative topology and Borel sigma-algebra , and let be the restriction of to , so for . Let be a measurable data space. Assume is measurable from to , where is generated by the order topology on the extended real line and is its trace on ; thus is allowed and is excluded. Let . Suppose that for every , the section is finite and continuous as a real-valued function on with its relative topology inherited from the norm topology. Suppose there is one Borel function , independent of , such that Define . Then for every , the evidence is finite and strictly positive, and the normalized fiberwise update is a probability measure on .
Statement references
A prior is a Borel probability on the parameter space with full measure on the forward domain.
A separable space has an at most countable dense subset.
A nonnegative likelihood update is a probability exactly when its normalizer is positive and finite.
Dashti and Stuart, §3.2 and §4.1, full lecture notes
Latz, §2.2, Theorem 2.5 and its proof in Appendix B (printed p. 23), full paper
Facts & Assumptions
Given: A separable real Banach space , a Borel set , a Borel probability with , a jointly measurable potential with finite continuous sections on for , and one common envelope satisfying the stated integrability condition.
A prior on a forward domain is a Borel probability on with , and its restriction is a probability on . A Borel prior concentrated on a forward-map domain
For a fixed , and, only for positive finite evidence, . Misfit evidence and the potential posterior law
Separability means that some at most countable subset is dense. Separability: the existence of an at most countable dense subset
A product of two at most countable sets is at most countable. A product of two at most countable sets is at most countable
The rational numbers are countably infinite. is countably infinite
Between any two distinct reals lies a rational. Both and are dense in , and every nonempty open subset of is uncountable
The Borel sigma-algebra is generated by the open sets. The Borel sigma-algebra of a topological space
A measure of a countable union is at most the sum of the measures of its members. Finite and countable subadditivity of measures
If measurable sets satisfy , then . Measures are monotone
For nonnegative measurable functions, pointwise domination implies domination of their nonnegative integrals. Monotonicity and nonnegative homogeneity of the nonnegative integral
For a measure and nonnegative measurable likelihood , the normalized update is a probability measure exactly when . Fiberwise posterior propriety is equivalent to finite positive evidence
A measure assigns zero mass to the empty set. Measures on sigma-algebras
A measure is countably additive on pairwise-disjoint measurable sequences. Measures on sigma-algebras
A real Banach space is a real normed space with induced metric , complete for that metric. Banach space
The open metric ball is for . Open ball, closed ball and sphere in a metric space
Every positive-radius open metric ball is open in the metric topology. Arbitrary unions and finite intersections of open sets are open, open balls are open and closed balls are closed
The open sets of with the relative topology are precisely traces of open sets in . Subspace topology: the traces of the open sets, its closed sets and its bases, the continuity of the inclusion, and the characteristic property of a map into a subspace
The metric topology is the collection of open sets for the metric induced by the norm. The metric topology: a set is open when every one of its points has a ball around it inside the set; closed means open complement
Continuity at a point means that the preimage of each target neighborhood is a neighborhood of that point. Continuity of a map of topological spaces at a point and globally
The real exponential is continuous, positive and increasing. The real exponential function and the number by a power series, The exponential is positive and satisfies , The exponential function is strictly increasing
A nonempty at most countable set is the surjective image of . A nonempty set is at most countable iff it is a surjective image of
Every subset of an at most countable set is at most countable. Every subset of an at most countable set is at most countable
The norm triangle inequality gives and the reverse inequality after swapping , so is continuous; composing measurable maps with Borel maps preserves measurability. A norm on a real vector space, the induced metric, and the dictionary with the metric axioms, Composition with a Borel measurable outer map preserves measurability
Proof
Given: The hypotheses in the Statement.
Choose a countable dense set using separability [F3]. The positive rationals are at most countable by [F5] and [F23], so is at most countable by [F4]. It is nonempty because is a nonempty vector space, is dense, and . By [F22], enumerate by a surjection from ; composing that map with shows that is at most countable. It consists of open sets by [F17], and it is a base: if with open, choose with , choose with , so , and then choose a rational with by [F6]. The norm triangle inequality [F15] gives .
Fix any . The section is continuous and real-valued on , so its preimages of open subsets of are relatively open by [F18, F20] and hence Borel by [F7]. Since the exponential is continuous [F21], is Borel measurable. By [F24], is also measurable. The common lower envelope and monotonicity of the exponential [F21] give for every . Thus [F10] and the assumed envelope integrability give . Since was arbitrary, this holds for every .
Let and . By [F23], is at most countable. If , then and by [F12]. Otherwise [F22] gives a surjection ; each is Borel by [F7] and [F17] and has measure zero, so [F8] gives . If and is an open neighborhood of , the base property supplies with ; then , and [F9] gives . A point in lies in a zero-mass open neighborhood. Therefore and .
Since is a probability and , countable additivity [F13] on gives . Likewise, by step 2.1 and , so [F13] on the support and its complement gives . By [F8] their union is null, so . This intersection is nonempty because [F12] gives . Choose .
Fix . The open interval contains ; continuity at [F20] gives a relative-open neighborhood mapped into this interval. By [F18], write for an open containing . Thus on . By the support property . Since and step 3.1 gives , [F9] gives ; countable additivity [F13] on yields . On , . Therefore monotonicity and positive scalar homogeneity of the nonnegative integral [F10] give .
For the arbitrary fixed in step 4.1, steps 1.2 and 4.1 give . Applying [F11] to the measurable likelihood section shows that the normalized update is a probability measure on . Since was arbitrary, this holds for every such datum.
Depends on
- Misfit evidence and the potential posterior law
- A Borel prior concentrated on a forward-map domain
- Banach space
- A norm on a real vector space, the induced metric, and the dictionary with the metric axioms
- Separability: the existence of an at most countable dense subset
- Open ball, closed ball and sphere in a metric space
- The metric topology: a set is open when every one of its points has a ball around it inside the set; closed means open complement
- Arbitrary unions and finite intersections of open sets are open, open balls are open and closed balls are closed
- Subspace topology: the traces of the open sets, its closed sets and its bases, the continuity of the inclusion, and the characteristic property of a map into a subspace
- Continuity of a map of topological spaces at a point and globally
- A product of two at most countable sets is at most countable
- $\mathbb{Q}$ is countably infinite
- Both $\mathbb{Q}$ and $\mathbb{R} \setminus \mathbb{Q}$ are dense in $\mathbb{R}$, and every nonempty open subset of $\mathbb{R}$ is uncountable
- Finite, countably infinite, countable, uncountable
- A nonempty set is at most countable iff it is a surjective image of $\mathbb{N}$
- Every subset of an at most countable set is at most countable
- The Borel sigma-algebra of a topological space
- Measures on sigma-algebras
- Finite and countable subadditivity of measures
- Measures are monotone
- Monotonicity and nonnegative homogeneity of the nonnegative integral
- Composition with a Borel measurable outer map preserves measurability
- The exponential is positive and satisfies $\exp(-x)=1/\exp(x)$
- The exponential function is strictly increasing
- The real exponential function and the number $e$ by a power series
- Fiberwise posterior propriety is equivalent to finite positive evidence
Used by
- A proper Gaussian likelihood gives a proper posterior Example
- A zero-evidence fiber has no normalized fiberwise update Example
- An improper counting prior can have finite evidence at one datum Example
- Dimension-uniform conditional flow error for function-valued Bayesian posteriors Open problem
- Finite linear Gaussian inverse posterior with singular prior covariance Theorem
- Gaussian posterior small-ball ratios and the Onsager–Machlup functional Theorem
- Hellinger error bound for posterior potential discretization Theorem
- Hellinger stability of function-space posteriors under data perturbations Theorem
- pCN stationary mean acceptance tends to one at small scale Theorem
Dependency tree · two levels
125 results within two dependency steps of this one, each drawn at its shortest distance from it. An arrow runs from a result to what uses it, so the chart reads left to right and ends at this result, which carries a heavier outline. Every node is a link to that result. Click elsewhere on the chart to enlarge it.
Sources
- M. Dashti and A. M. Stuart, The Bayesian Approach to Inverse Problems (full lecture notes, arXiv:1302.6989) (standard reference, not scraped)
- J. Latz, On the Well-posedness of Bayesian Inverse Problems, SIAM/ASA Journal on Uncertainty Quantification 8 (2020) (standard reference, not scraped)