Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Power from Understanding the Shape of Measurement: Progress in Bayesian Inference for Astrophysics

  • Conference paper
Statistical Challenges in Astronomy

Abstract

After a review of the historical context of Bayesian inference in astronomy, we work a tutorial problem involving the search for pulsars in gamma-ray astronomical data; i.e. the detection of periodicities in a Poisson point process. We develop a model called Sparse Bayes Blocks for this purpose. These methods are also effective for estimation of the pulsar period.

This paper is followed by a commentary by statistician Eric D. Kolaczyk.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 169.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 219.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 219.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  1. T. Loredo, In Statistical Challenges in Modern Astronomy, Springer-Verlag, 1992.

    Google Scholar 

  2. J. Berger, in Statistical Challenges in Modern Astronomy II, ed. E. Feigelson and G. Babu, p 15.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Connors, A., in Statistical Challenges in Modern Astronomy II, ed. E. Feigelson and G. Babu, p 39.

    Google Scholar 

  4. Lampton, M., Margon, B. and Bowyer, S., 1976, ApJL, 208, L177.

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  5. Cash, W. 1979, ApJ 228, 939.

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  6. Wachter, K., Leach, R., Kellog, E., 1979, it ApJ, 230, 274.

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  7. Avni, Y., 1978, A&A, 66, 307.

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  8. Feigelson, E.D., Babu, G.J.,, and Guth, J. 1992, ApJ, 397, 55.

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  9. Protassov et al., 2001, to be published in ApJ.

    Google Scholar 

  10. E. T. Jaynes. Probability Theory: The Logic of Science. Kluwer, in process. http://bayes.wustl.edu/

  11. Bijaoui, A.B., A & A, 13, 226, 1971.

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  12. Bijaoui, A.B., 1971, A & A, 13, 232.

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  13. Richardson, W. H., 1972, J. Opt. Soc. Am., 62, 55.

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  14. Lucy, L.B., 1974, AJ, 79, 745L.

    Google Scholar 

  15. van Dyk, D. A. 2001, submitted to ApJ.

    Google Scholar 

  16. van Dyk, D. A., Connors, A., Kashyap, V. L., & Siemiginowska, A. 2001, ApJ, 548. 224.

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  17. Cornwell, T.J.,1979, in Image Formation from Coherence Functions in Astronomy, Proceedings of IAU Colloq. 49, Ed., C. van Schooneveld, (C. D. Reidel, (Astrophysics and Space Science Library) Volume 76, 227

    Google Scholar 

  18. J. Skilling. in Maximum Entropy and Bayesian Methods, ed. P. Fougere, Kluwer, Dordrecht, 341, 1990.

    Google Scholar 

  19. Uson, J.M. and Wilkinson, D.T., 1984, Nature, 312, 427.

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  20. Boynton, P.E. and Partridge, R.B., 1973, ApJ, 181, 243.

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  21. Kaiser, N., and Lasenby, A.N., 1988 “unpublished paper; available from authors on request”.

    Google Scholar 

  22. Davies, R.D., et al., 1987, Nature, 326, 462.

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  23. Lasenby, R.N., and Davies, R.D., 1988, in Large Scale Motions in the Universe, ed. Rubin, V.C., Coyne, G.V. (Vatican Press, Princeton U. Press), p 277.

    Google Scholar 

  24. Church, S.E., Lasenby, A.N., & Hills, R.E., 1993, MNRAS, 261, 705.

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  25. Loredo, T.J., http://www.astro.cornell.edu/sta/loredo/bayes/.

  26. Freeman, P. E., et al., 1999, ApJL 524:753–771

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  27. Kashyap, V., Drake, J. J., 1998, ApJ, 503, 450.

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  28. Graziani et al., 1992, In: Gamma-ray bursts; AIP Conf Proc. 265 (New York: AIP), p211.

    Google Scholar 

  29. J. Berger, invited talk, AAS 194. http://www.stat.duke.edu/~berger/papers.html

  30. Feigelson, E., 1996, Comment at the public Bayes session at SCMA II, Penn State.

    Google Scholar 

  31. (1971) Eadie, W.T., Drijard, D., James, F.E., Roos, M., and Sadoulet, B., Statistical Methods in Experimental Physics (New York: North-Holland)

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  32. Bevington, P. R., 1969, Data Reduction and Error Analysis for the Physical Sciences. (New York: McGraw-Hill)

    Google Scholar 

  33. Tanner, M.A., 1985, Tools for Statistical Inference. Kluwer.

    Google Scholar 

  34. Young, C.A., et al, this conference

    Google Scholar 

  35. Nowak and Kolaczyk, 2001 (preprint).

    Google Scholar 

  36. Kolaczyk, E., this conference

    Google Scholar 

  37. Esch, D., et al, this conference

    Google Scholar 

  38. Connors et al., 2001, Proc. of the 5th Huntsville Gamma-Ray Burst Symposium, AIP Conference Proc., ed. Kippen, R.M., Mallozzi, R.S., Connaughton, V. (New York: AIP).

    Google Scholar 

  39. Seward, F.D., 1989, Space Science Reviews, 49, 385.

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  40. Thompson, D.J., 2001 in High Energy Gamma-Ray Astronomy, 103.

    Google Scholar 

  41. de Jager et al. 2001, in High Energy Gamma-Ray Astronomy, 613

    Google Scholar 

  42. Halpern, J. & Holt, S., 1992, Nature, 357, 222.

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  43. Bertsch, D. et al., 1992, Nature, 357, 306.

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  44. Gehrels, N., et al., 2000, Nature, 404, 363.

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  45. Halpern et al., 2001, ApJL, 552, L125.

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  46. Loredo, T.J., these proceedings.

    Google Scholar 

  47. R. Buccheri and B. Sacco, in: Data Analysis in Astronomy, eds: L. Scarsi, V. Di Gesu, P. Crane, and S. Levialdi, Plenum Press, p 15, 1985.

    Google Scholar 

  48. Leahy, D.A., Elsner, R.F., Weisskopf, M.C., 1983, ApJL, 272, 256.

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  49. O.C. De Jager, J.W.H. Swanepoel, and B. C. Rubenheimer, A & A, 221, 80, 1989.

    Google Scholar 

  50. Connors, A. 1997, in “Proceedings of the Fifth Workshop in Data Analysis in Astronomy (DAAV)”, ed. Di Gesu, V., Duff, M.J.B., Heck, A, Maccarone, M.C., Scarsi, L. and Zimmeran, H.U., (World Scientific Publishing Co., London), 251.

    Google Scholar 

  51. Gregory, P. C. & Loredo, T. J. 1992, ApJ, 398, 146

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  52. Jefferys, W. and Berger, J., 1992, American Scientist, 80, 64.

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  53. Scargle, J, 1998., ApJ, 504, 405.

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  54. M. West, in: ed. E. Feigelson and G. Babu, Springer-Verlag, New York, 299, 1992.

    Google Scholar 

  55. Jaynes, E.T., E. T. Jaynes: Papers on Probability, Statistics and Statistical Physics. Kluwer, 1978.

    Google Scholar 

  56. Connors and Carramiñnana 2001, these proceedings

    Google Scholar 

  57. Bretthorst, G. L., 1988, Bayesian Spectrum Analysis and Parameter Estimation, in Lecture Notes in Statistics, 48, (Springer-Verlag, NY, New York). http://bayes.wustl.edu/

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  58. van Dyk, D. A. 2001, these proceedings.

    Google Scholar 

References

  1. Kolaczyk, E.D. This volume.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Authors
  1. A. Connors
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2003 Springer-Verlag New York, Inc.

About this paper

Cite this paper

Connors, A. (2003). Power from Understanding the Shape of Measurement: Progress in Bayesian Inference for Astrophysics. In: Statistical Challenges in Astronomy. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/0-387-21529-8_2

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/0-387-21529-8_2

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-0-387-95546-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-0-387-21529-7

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation