Pseudo-marginal MCMC

Robert NishiharaComputation, Probability, Statistics

This post gives a brief introduction to the pseudo-marginal approach to MCMC. A very nice explanation, with examples, is available here. Frequently, we are given a density function , with , and we use Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) to generate samples from the corresponding probability distribution. For simplicity, suppose we are performing Metropolis-Hastings with a spherical proposal distribution. Then, we move from the current state to a proposed state with probability . But what if we cannot evaluate exactly? Such a situation might arise if we are given a joint density function , with , and we must marginalize out in order to compute . In this situation, we may only be able to approximate    

Asymptotic Equipartition of Markov Chains

Peter KrafftStatisticsLeave a Comment

The Asymptotic Equipartition Property/Principle (AEP) is a well-known result that is likely covered in any introductory information theory class. Nevertheless, when I first learned about it in such a course, I did not appreciate the implications of its general form.  In this post I will review this beautiful, classic result and offer the mental picture I have of its implications. I will frame my discussion in terms of Markov chains with discrete state spaces, but note that the AEP holds even more generally. My treatment will be relatively informal, and I will assume basic familiarity with Markov chains. See the references for more details.