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From metropolis to diffusions: Gibbs states and optimal scaling

Author

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  • Breyer, L. A.
  • Roberts, G. O.

Abstract

This paper investigates the behaviour of the random walk Metropolis algorithm in high-dimensional problems. Here we concentrate on the case where the components in the target density is a spatially homogeneous Gibbs distribution with finite range. The performance of the algorithm is strongly linked to the presence or absence of phase transition for the Gibbs distribution; the convergence time being approximately linear in dimension for problems where phase transition is not present. Related to this, there is an optimal way to scale the variance of the proposal distribution in order to maximise the speed of convergence of the algorithm. This turns out to involve scaling the variance of the proposal as the reciprocal of dimension (at least in the phase transition-free case). Moreover, the actual optimal scaling can be characterised in terms of the overall acceptance rate of the algorithm, the maximising value being 0.234, the value as predicted by studies on simpler classes of target density. The results are proved in the framework of a weak convergence result, which shows that the algorithm actually behaves like an infinite-dimensional diffusion process in high dimensions.

Suggested Citation

  • Breyer, L. A. & Roberts, G. O., 2000. "From metropolis to diffusions: Gibbs states and optimal scaling," Stochastic Processes and their Applications, Elsevier, vol. 90(2), pages 181-206, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:spapps:v:90:y:2000:i:2:p:181-206
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Peter Neal & Gareth Roberts, 2011. "Optimal Scaling of Random Walk Metropolis Algorithms with Non-Gaussian Proposals," Methodology and Computing in Applied Probability, Springer, vol. 13(3), pages 583-601, September.
    2. Kamatani, Kengo, 2020. "Random walk Metropolis algorithm in high dimension with non-Gaussian target distributions," Stochastic Processes and their Applications, Elsevier, vol. 130(1), pages 297-327.
    3. Bédard, Mylène, 2008. "Optimal acceptance rates for Metropolis algorithms: Moving beyond 0.234," Stochastic Processes and their Applications, Elsevier, vol. 118(12), pages 2198-2222, December.
    4. Yang, Jun & Roberts, Gareth O. & Rosenthal, Jeffrey S., 2020. "Optimal scaling of random-walk metropolis algorithms on general target distributions," Stochastic Processes and their Applications, Elsevier, vol. 130(10), pages 6094-6132.
    5. O. F. Christensen & J. Møller & R. P. Waagepetersen, 2001. "Geometric Ergodicity of Metropolis-Hastings Algorithms for Conditional Simulation in Generalized Linear Mixed Models," Methodology and Computing in Applied Probability, Springer, vol. 3(3), pages 309-327, September.
    6. Zanella, Giacomo & Bédard, Mylène & Kendall, Wilfrid S., 2017. "A Dirichlet form approach to MCMC optimal scaling," Stochastic Processes and their Applications, Elsevier, vol. 127(12), pages 4053-4082.
    7. Peter Neal & Gareth Roberts, 2008. "Optimal Scaling for Random Walk Metropolis on Spherically Constrained Target Densities," Methodology and Computing in Applied Probability, Springer, vol. 10(2), pages 277-297, June.

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