Optimal sub-Gaussian variance proxy for 3-mass distributions
Statistics Theory
2025-10-08 v1 Statistics Theory
Abstract
We investigate the problem of characterizing the optimal variance proxy for sub-Gaussian random variables,whose moment-generating function exhibits bounded growth at infinity. We apply a general characterization method to discrete random variables with equally spaced atoms. We thoroughly study 3-mass distributions, thereby generalizing the well-studied Bernoulli case. We also prove that the discrete uniform distribution over points is strictly sub-Gaussian. Finally, we provide an open-source Python package that combines analytical and numerical approaches to compute optimal sub-Gaussian variance proxies across a wide range of distributions.
Cite
@article{arxiv.2510.06132,
title = {Optimal sub-Gaussian variance proxy for 3-mass distributions},
author = {Soufiane Atouani and Olivier Marchal and Julyan Arbel},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2510.06132},
year = {2025}
}