Open Access
August 2019 Generalized cluster trees and singular measures
Yen-Chi Chen
Ann. Statist. 47(4): 2174-2203 (August 2019). DOI: 10.1214/18-AOS1744
Abstract

In this paper we study the $\alpha $-cluster tree ($\alpha $-tree) under both singular and nonsingular measures. The $\alpha $-tree uses probability contents within a set created by the ordering of points to construct a cluster tree so that it is well defined even for singular measures. We first derive the convergence rate for a density level set around critical points, which leads to the convergence rate for estimating an $\alpha $-tree under nonsingular measures. For singular measures, we study how the kernel density estimator (KDE) behaves and prove that the KDE is not uniformly consistent but pointwise consistent after rescaling. We further prove that the estimated $\alpha $-tree fails to converge in the $L_{\infty }$ metric but is still consistent under the integrated distance. We also observe a new type of critical points—the dimensional critical points (DCPs)—of a singular measure. DCPs are points that contribute to cluster tree topology but cannot be defined using density gradient. Building on the analysis of the KDE and DCPs, we prove the topological consistency of an estimated $\alpha $-tree.

Copyright © 2019 Institute of Mathematical Statistics
Yen-Chi Chen "Generalized cluster trees and singular measures," The Annals of Statistics 47(4), 2174-2203, (August 2019). https://doi.org/10.1214/18-AOS1744
Received: 1 November 2016; Published: August 2019
Vol.47 • No. 4 • August 2019
Back to Top