Gaussian Measures Conditioned on Nonlinear Observations: Consistency, MAP Estimators, and Simulation
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Abstract (arXiv)
The article presents a systematic study of the problem of conditioning a Gaussian random variable xi on nonlinear observations of the form F circ φ(xi) where φ: X → ℝN is a bounded linear operator and F is nonlinear. Such problems arise in the context of Bayesian inference and recent machine learning-inspired PDE solvers. We give a representer theorem for the conditioned random variable xi mid Fcirc φ(xi), stating that it decomposes as the sum of an infinite-dimensional Gaussian (which is identified analytically) as well as a finite-dimensional non-Gaussian measure. We also introduce a novel notion of the mode of a conditional measure by taking the limit of the natural relaxation of the problem, to which we can apply the existing notion of maximum a posteriori estimators of posterior measures. Finally, we introduce a variant of the Laplace approximation for the efficient simulation of the aforementioned conditioned Gaussian random variables towards uncertainty quantification.
Key facts. Cited by 4 papers in the map (data through 7 Oct 2026). Builds on 29 of its 96 references that are in the map. First posted on arXiv 21 May 2024.
Builds on
29 of 96 references.
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17 more
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Built on by
Citing papers per year: 2025: 3; 2026: 1.
4 papers.
- 2025Bilevel optimization for learning hyperparameters: Application to solving PDEs and inverse problems with Gaussian processescited by 3
- 2025Flexible and Efficient Probabilistic PDE Solvers through Gaussian Markov Random Fieldscited by 1
- 2025Discovery of Probabilistic Dirichlet-to-Neumann Maps on Graphscited by 1
- 2026Approximating Measures on Function Spaces: Transport and Truncationcited by 0
- 2026Approximating Measures on Function Spaces: Transport and Truncation15 Sep 2026
- 2025Bilevel optimization for learning hyperparameters: Application to solving PDEs and inverse problems with Gaussian processes7 Oct 2025
- 2025Discovery of Probabilistic Dirichlet-to-Neumann Maps on Graphs3 Jun 2025
- 2025Flexible and Efficient Probabilistic PDE Solvers through Gaussian Markov Random Fields11 Mar 2025