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At least 343 records · Page 19

Goal-oriented a-posteriori estimation of model error as an aid to parameter estimation

In this work, a Bayesian model calibration framework is presented that utilizes goal-oriented a-posterior error estimates in quantities of interest (QoIs) for classes of high-fidelity models characterized by PDEs. It is shown that for a large class of computational models, it is possible to develop a computationally inexpensive procedure for calibrating parameters of high-fidelity models of physical events when the parameters of low-fidelity (surrogate) models are known with acceptable accuracy. The main ingredients in the proposed model calibration scheme are goal-oriented a-posteriori estimates of error in QoIs computed using a so-called lower fidelity model compared to those of an uncalibrated higher fidelity model. The estimates of error in QoIs are used to define likelihood functions in Bayesian inversion analysis. A standard Bayesian approach is employed to compute the posterior distribution of model parameters of high-fidelity models. As applications, parameters in a quasi-linear second-order elliptic boundary-value problem (BVP) are calibrated using a second-order linear elliptic BVP. In a second application, parameters of a tumor growth model involving nonlinear time-dependent PDEs are calibrated using a lower fidelity linear tumor growth model with known parameter values.

A-posterior estimates↗

A BAYESIAN MONTE CARLO ANALYSIS OF THE M-{sigma} RELATION

We present an analysis of selection biases in the M{sub bh}-{sigma} relation using Monte Carlo simulations including the sphere of influence resolution selection bias and a selection bias in the velocity dispersion distribution. We find that the sphere of influence selection bias has a significant effect on the measured slope of the M{sub bh}-{sigma} relation, modeled as {beta}{sub intrinsic} = -4.69 + 2.22{beta}{sub measured}, where the measured slope is shallower than the model slope in the parameter range of {beta} > 4, with larger corrections for steeper model slopes. Therefore, when the sphere of influence is used as a criterion to exclude unreliable measurements, it also introduces a selection bias that needs to be modeled to restore the intrinsic slope of the relation. We find that the selection effect due to the velocity dispersion distribution of the sample, which might not follow the overall distribution of the population, is not important for slopes of {beta} {approx} 4-6 of a logarithmically linear M{sub bh}-{sigma} relation, which could impact some studies that measure low (e.g., {beta} < 4) slopes. Combining the selection biases in velocity dispersions and the sphere of influence cut, we find that the uncertainty of the slope is larger than the value without modeling these effects and estimate an intrinsic slope of {beta} = 5.28{sup +0.84}{sub -0.55}.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

UNSUPERVISED TRANSIENT LIGHT CURVE ANALYSIS VIA HIERARCHICAL BAYESIAN INFERENCE

Historically, light curve studies of supernovae (SNe) and other transient classes have focused on individual objects with copious and high signal-to-noise observations. In the nascent era of wide field transient searches, objects with detailed observations are decreasing as a fraction of the overall known SN population, and this strategy sacrifices the majority of the information contained in the data about the underlying population of transients. A population level modeling approach, simultaneously fitting all available observations of objects in a transient sub-class of interest, fully mines the data to infer the properties of the population and avoids certain systematic biases. We present a novel hierarchical Bayesian statistical model for population level modeling of transient light curves, and discuss its implementation using an efficient Hamiltonian Monte Carlo technique. As a test case, we apply this model to the Type IIP SN sample from the Pan-STARRS1 Medium Deep Survey, consisting of 18,837 photometric observations of 76 SNe, corresponding to a joint posterior distribution with 9176 parameters under our model. Our hierarchical model fits provide improved constraints on light curve parameters relevant to the physical properties of their progenitor stars relative to modeling individual light curves alone. Moreover, we directly evaluate the probability for occurrence rates of unseen light curve characteristics from the model hyperparameters, addressing observational biases in survey methodology. We view this modeling framework as an unsupervised machine learning technique with the ability to maximize scientific returns from data to be collected by future wide field transient searches like LSST.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

BAYESIAN ANGULAR POWER SPECTRUM ANALYSIS OF INTERFEROMETRIC DATA

We present a Bayesian angular power spectrum and signal map inference engine which can be adapted to interferometric observations of anisotropies in the cosmic microwave background (CMB), 21 cm emission line mapping of galactic brightness fluctuations, or 21 cm absorption line mapping of neutral hydrogen in the dark ages. The method uses Gibbs sampling to generate a sampled representation of the angular power spectrum posterior and the posterior of signal maps given a set of measured visibilities in the uv-plane. We use a mock interferometric CMB observation to demonstrate the validity of this method in the flat-sky approximation when adapted to take into account arbitrary coverage of the uv-plane, mode-mode correlations due to observations on a finite patch, and heteroschedastic visibility errors. The computational requirements scale as O(n{sub p} log n{sub p}) where n{sub p} measures the ratio of the size of the detector array to the inter-detector spacing, meaning that Gibbs sampling is a promising technique for meeting the data analysis requirements of future cosmology missions.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Using a Simple Binomial Model to Assess Improvement in Predictive Capability: Sequential Bayesian Inference, Hypothesis Testing, and Power Analysis

We present a Bayesian statistical methodology for identifying improvement in predictive simulations, including an analysis of the number of (presumably expensive) simulations that will need to be made in order to establish with a given level of confidence that an improvement has been observed. Our analysis assumes the ability to predict (or postdict) the same experiments with legacy and new simulation codes and uses a simple binomial model for the probability, {theta}, that, in an experiment chosen at random, the new code will provide a better prediction than the old. This model makes it possible to do statistical analysis with an absolute minimum of assumptions about the statistics of the quantities involved, at the price of discarding some potentially important information in the data. In particular, the analysis depends only on whether or not the new code predicts better than the old in any given experiment, and not on the magnitude of the improvement. We show how the posterior distribution for {theta} may be used, in a kind of Bayesian hypothesis testing, both to decide if an improvement has been observed and to quantify our confidence in that decision. We quantify the predictive probability that should be assigned, prior to taking any data, to the possibility of achieving a given level of confidence, as a function of sample size. We show how this predictive probability depends on the true value of {theta} and, in particular, how there will always be a region around {theta} = 1/2 where it is highly improbable that we will be able to identify an improvement in predictive capability, although the width of this region will shrink to zero as the sample size goes to infinity. We show how the posterior standard deviation may be used, as a kind of 'plan B metric' in the case that the analysis shows that {theta} is close to 1/2 and argue that such a plan B should generally be part of hypothesis testing. All the analysis presented in the paper is done with a general beta-function prior for {theta}, enabling sequential analysis in which a small number of new simulations may be done and the resulting posterior for {theta} used as a prior to inform the next stage of power analysis.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Neutron Star Radii, Deformabilities, and Moments of Inertia from Experimental and Ab Initio Theory Constraints of the 208Pb Neutron Skin Thickness

Recent experimental and ab initio theory investigations of the 208Pb neutron skin thickness have the potential to inform the neutron star equation of state. In particular, the strong correlation between the 208Pb neutron skin thickness and the pressure of neutron matter at normal nuclear densities leads to modified predictions for the radii, tidal deformabilities, and moments of inertia of typical 1.4M⊙ neutron stars. In the present work, we study the relative impact of these recent analyses of the 208Pb neutron skin thickness on bulk properties of neutron stars within a Bayesian statistical analysis. Two models for the equation of state prior are employed in order to highlight the role of the highly uncertain high-density equation of state. From our combined Bayesian analysis of nuclear theory, nuclear experiment, and observational constraints on the dense matter equation of state, we find at the 90% credibility level R1.4=12.36−0.73+0.38 km for the radius of a 1.4M⊙ neutron star, R2.0=11.96−0.71+0.94 km for the radius of a 2.0M⊙ neutron star, Λ1.4=440−144+103 for the tidal deformability of a 1.4M⊙ neutron star, and I1.338=1.425−0.146+0.074×1045gcm2 for the moment of inertia of PSR J0737-3039A whose mass is 1.338M⊙.

Lim, Yeunhwan↗

Implementation of a Bayesian Engine for Uncertainty Analysis

In probabilistic risk assessment, it is important to have an environment where analysts have access to a shared and secured high performance computing and a statistical analysis tool package. As part of the advanced small modular reactor probabilistic risk analysis framework implementation, we have identified the need for advanced Bayesian computations. However, in order to make this technology available to non-specialists, there is also a need of a simplified tool that allows users to author models and evaluate them within this framework. As a proof-of-concept, we have implemented an advanced open source Bayesian inference tool, OpenBUGS, within the browser-based cloud risk analysis framework that is under development at the Idaho National Laboratory. This development, the “OpenBUGS Scripter” has been implemented as a client side, visual web-based and integrated development environment for creating OpenBUGS language scripts. It depends on the shared server environment to execute the generated scripts and to transmit results back to the user. The visual models are in the form of linked diagrams, from which we automatically create the applicable OpenBUGS script that matches the diagram. These diagrams can be saved locally or stored on the server environment to be shared with other users.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗

Cyclotron radiation emission spectroscopy of electrons from tritium $β$ decay and 83m Kr internal conversion

Project 8 has developed a novel technique, cyclotron radiation emission spectroscopy (CRES), for direct neutrino mass measurements. A CRES-based experiment on the beta spectrum of tritium has been carried out in a small-volume apparatus. Here, we provide a detailed account of the experiment, focusing on systematic effects and analysis techniques. In a Bayesian (frequentist) analysis, we measure the tritium endpoint as ${18}$ ${553}_{—19}^{+18}$ (${18}$ ${548}_{—19}^{+19}$) eV and set upper limits of 155 (152) eV (90% C.L.) on the neutrino mass. No background events are observed beyond the endpoint in 82 days of running. We also demonstrate an energy resolution of 1.66 ± 0.19 eV in a resolution-optimized magnetic trap configuration by measuring 83m Kr 17.8-keV internal-conversion electrons. These measurements establish CRES as a low-background, high-resolution technique with the potential to advance neutrino mass sensitivity

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

An efficient Bayesian data-worth analysis using a multilevel Monte Carlo method

Improving the understanding of subsurface systems and thus reducing prediction uncertainty requires collection of data. As the collection of subsurface data is costly, it is important that the data collection scheme is cost-effective. Design of a cost-effective data collection scheme, i.e., data-worth analysis, requires quantifying model parameter, prediction, and both current and potential data uncertainties. Assessment of these uncertainties in large-scale stochastic subsurface hydrological model simulations using standard Monte Carlo (MC) sampling or surrogate modeling is extremely computationally intensive, sometimes even infeasible. In this paper, we propose an efficient Bayesian data-worth analysis using a multilevel Monte Carlo (MLMC) method. Compared to the standard MC that requires a significantly large number of high-fidelity model executions to achieve a prescribed accuracy in estimating expectations, the MLMC can substantially reduce computational costs using multifidelity approximations. Since the Bayesian data-worth analysis involves a great deal of expectation estimation, the cost saving of the MLMC in the assessment can be outstanding. While the proposed MLMC-based data-worth analysis is broadly applicable, we use it for a highly heterogeneous two-phase subsurface flow simulation to select an optimal candidate data set that gives the largest uncertainty reduction in predicting mass flow rates at four production wells. Finally, the choices made by the MLMC estimation are validated by the actual measurements of the potential data, and consistent with the standard MC estimation. But compared to the standard MC, the MLMC greatly reduces the computational costs.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Bayesian And Human Reliability Analysis (hra)-aided Method For The Reliability Analysis Of Software (bahamas)

The purpose of the BAHAMAS code is to provide a simplified process for performing quantitative evaluations of software reliability. The Bayesian and Human Reliability Analysis (HRA)-Aided method for the Reliability Analysis of software (BAHAMAS) was developed specifically to perform quantification under limited data conditions, i.e., when limited testing or operational data are available, such as during early development stages. BAHAMAS essentially examines the quality of a software development life cycle to determine the probability of specific types of software failure. BAHAMAS will have modules to support user input for detailed and simplified analyses. The user interface will also support software common cause failure analysis.

Wang, Congjian (0000000207789927)↗

Analysis of a Computational Framework for Bayesian Inverse Problems: Ensemble Kalman Updates and MAP Estimators under Mesh Refinement

This paper analyzes a popular computational framework to solve infinite-dimensional Bayesian inverse problems, discretizing the prior and the forward model in a finite-dimensional weighted inner product space. We demonstrate the benefit of working on a weighted space by establishing operator-norm bounds for finite element and graph-based discretizations of Matérn-type priors and deconvolution forward models. For linear-Gaussian inverse problems, we develop a general theory to characterize the error in the approximation to the posterior. We also embed the computational framework into ensemble Kalman methods and MAP estimators for nonlinear inverse problems. Furthermore, our operator-norm bounds for prior discretizations guarantee the scalability and accuracy of these algorithms under mesh refinement.

Bayesian inverse problem↗

Nonintrusive Uncertainty Quantification of Computational Fluid Dynamics Simulations of a Bench-Scale Fluidized-Bed Gasifier

Uncertainty quantification (UQ) analysis is increasingly becoming one of the major requirements of simulation-based engineering to assess the confidence in the results and make better-informed decisions based on the insight derived from the simulations. In an earlier study, Bayesian UQ analysis was applied to existing bench-scale fluidized-bed gasifier experiment results. In the current study, a series of simulations were carried over with the open-source computational fluid dynamics software MFiX to reproduce the experimental conditions, where three operating factors, i.e., coal flow rate, coal particle diameter, and steam-to-oxygen ratio, were systematically varied to understand their effect on the syngas composition. Bayesian UQ analysis was this time performed on the numerical results for comparison purposes. This is part of ongoing research efforts to explore the applicability of advanced UQ methods and processes such as Bayesian methods for large-scale complex multiphase flow simulations. As part of Bayesian UQ analysis, a global sensitivity analysis was performed based on the simulation results, which shows that the predicted syngas composition is strongly affected not only by the steam-to-oxygen ratio (which was observed in experiments as well) but also by variation in the coal flow rate and particle diameter (which was not observed in experiments). The carbon monoxide mole fraction is underpredicted at lower steam-to-oxygen ratios and overpredicted at higher steam-to-oxygen ratios. The opposite trend is observed for the carbon dioxide mole fraction. These discrepancies are attributed to either excessive segregation of the phases that leads to the fuel-rich or -lean regions or alternatively the selection of reaction models, where different reaction models and kinetics can lead to different syngas compositions throughout the gasifier.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗

A BAYESIAN METHOD FOR THE ANALYSIS OF THE DUST EMISSION IN THE FAR-INFRARED AND SUBMILLIMETER

We present a method, based on Bayesian statistics, to fit the dust emission parameters in the far-infrared and submillimeter wavelengths. The method estimates the dust temperature and spectral emissivity index, plus their relationship, properly taking into account the statistical and systematic uncertainties. We test it on three sets of simulated sources detectable by the Herschel Space Observatory in the PACS and SPIRE spectral bands (70-500 {mu}m), spanning over a wide range of dust temperatures. The simulated observations are a one-component interstellar medium and two two-component sources, both warm (H II regions) and cold (cold clumps (CCs)). We first define a procedure to identify the better model, then we recover the parameters of the model and measure their physical correlations by means of a Markov Chain Monte Carlo algorithm adopting multi-variate Gaussian priors. In this process, we assess the reliability of the model recovery and of parameter estimation. We conclude that the model and parameters are properly recovered only under certain circumstances and that false models may be derived in some cases. We applied the method to a set of 91 starless CCs in an interarm region of the Galactic plane with low star formation activity, observed by Herschel in the Hi-GAL survey. Our results are consistent with a temperature-independent spectral index.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗