Related papers: A method for comparing non-nested models with appl…
The likelihood ratio test (LRT) and the related $F$ test, do not (even asymptotically) adhere to their nominal $\chi^2$ and $F$ distributions in many statistical tests common in astrophysics, thereby casting many marginal line or source…
Particle physics experiments rely on the (generalised) likelihood ratio test (LRT) for searches and measurements, which consist of composite hypothesis tests. However, this test is not guaranteed to be optimal, as the Neyman-Pearson lemma…
Observation of gamma-rays from dwarf galaxies is an effective way to search for particle dark matter. Using 4-year data of Fermi-LAT observations on a series of Milky Way satellites, we develop a general way to search for the signals from…
The analysis of Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) gamma-ray data in a given Region Of Interest (RoI) usually consists of performing a binned log-likelihood fit in order to determine the sky model that, after convolution with the instrument…
The field of gamma ray astronomy relies heavily on the statistical analysis of data. Because of the paucity of data, and the often large errors associated with detecting gamma rays, analysis and interpretation of the data require…
Several cosmic ray experiments have measured excesses in electrons and positrons, relative to standard backgrounds, for energies from ~ 10 GeV - 1 TeV. These excesses could be due to new astrophysical sources, but an explanation in which…
Indirect searches for dark matter using dwarf spheroidal galaxies are limited by systematic uncertainties in modeling diffuse gamma-ray backgrounds. We present a likelihood-based comparison of locally constructed empirical background models…
A central goal in experimental high energy physics is to detect new physics signals that are not explained by known physics. In this paper, we aim to search for new signals that appear as deviations from known Standard Model physics in…
The sensitivity of the Large Area Telescope (LAT) aboard the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope allows detection of thousands of new gamma-ray sources and detailed characterization of the spectra and variability of bright sources.…
A problem of a new physical model test given observed experimental data is a typical one for modern experiments of high energy physics (HEP). A solution of the problem may be provided with two alternative statistical formalisms, namely…
In astronomy, there is an opportunity to enhance the practice of validating models through statistical techniques, specifically to account for measurement error uncertainties. While models are commonly used to describe observations, there…
The likelihood ratio test (LRT) is widely used for comparing the relative fit of nested latent variable models. Following Wilks' theorem, the LRT is conducted by comparing the LRT statistic with its asymptotic distribution under the…
This paper introduces the generalized Hausman test as a novel method for detecting non-normality of the latent variable distribution of unidimensional Item Response Theory (IRT) models for binary data. The test utilizes the pairwise maximum…
We propose a novel statistical method to extend Fermi-LAT catalogues of high-latitude $\gamma$-ray sources below their nominal threshold. To do so, we rely on a recent determination of the differential source-count distribution of…
This paper is devoted to the problem of detection of forest and non-forest areas on Earth images. We propose two statistical methods to tackle this problem: one based on multiple hypothesis testing with parametric distribution families,…
Practical problems with missing data are common, and statistical methods have been developed concerning the validity and/or efficiency of statistical procedures. On a central focus, there have been longstanding interests on the mechanism…
The likelihood ratio (LR) measures the relative weight of forensic data regarding two hypotheses. Several levels of uncertainty arise if frequentist methods are chosen for its assessment: the assumed population model only approximates the…
We develop a likelihood methodology which can be used to search for evidence of burst repetition in the BATSE catalog, and to study the properties of the repetition signal. We use a simplified model of burst repetition in which a number…
We describe likelihood-based statistical tests for use in high energy physics for the discovery of new phenomena and for construction of confidence intervals on model parameters. We focus on the properties of the test procedures that allow…
We describe a methodology for testing No-Scale Supergravity by the LAT instrument onboard the Fermi Space Telescope via observation of gamma ray emissions from lightest supersymmetric (SUSY) neutralino annihilations. For our test vehicle we…