TY - JOUR
T1 - A method for comparing non-nested models with application to astrophysical searches for new physics
AU - Algeri, Sara
AU - Conrad, Jan
AU - van Dyk, David A.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2016 The Authors.
PY - 2016/5/1
Y1 - 2016/5/1
N2 - Searches for unknown physics and decisions between competing astrophysical models to explain data both rely on statistical hypothesis testing. The usual approach in searches for new physical phenomena is based on the statistical likelihood ratio test and its asymptotic properties. In the common situation, when neither of the two models under comparison is a special case of the other i.e. when the hypotheses are non-nested, this test is not applicable. In astrophysics, this problem occurs when two models that reside in different parameter spaces are to be compared. An important example is the recently reported excess emission in astrophysical γ-rays and the question whether its origin is known astrophysics or dark matter. We develop and study a new, simple, generally applicable, frequentist method and validate its statistical properties using a suite of simulations studies.We exemplify it on realistic simulated data of the Fermi-Large Area Telescope γ-ray satellite, where non-nested hypotheses testing appears in the search for particle dark matter.
AB - Searches for unknown physics and decisions between competing astrophysical models to explain data both rely on statistical hypothesis testing. The usual approach in searches for new physical phenomena is based on the statistical likelihood ratio test and its asymptotic properties. In the common situation, when neither of the two models under comparison is a special case of the other i.e. when the hypotheses are non-nested, this test is not applicable. In astrophysics, this problem occurs when two models that reside in different parameter spaces are to be compared. An important example is the recently reported excess emission in astrophysical γ-rays and the question whether its origin is known astrophysics or dark matter. We develop and study a new, simple, generally applicable, frequentist method and validate its statistical properties using a suite of simulations studies.We exemplify it on realistic simulated data of the Fermi-Large Area Telescope γ-ray satellite, where non-nested hypotheses testing appears in the search for particle dark matter.
KW - Astroparticle physics
KW - Darkmatter
KW - Methods: data analysis
KW - Methods: statistical
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U2 - 10.1093/mnrasl/slw025
DO - 10.1093/mnrasl/slw025
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84963538286
SN - 1745-3925
VL - 458
SP - L84-L88
JO - Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
JF - Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
IS - 1
ER -