When one expands a probability density in a series and truncates the series, the result is generally not a manifestly positive density. Such is the case, for example, in the classical Edgeworth and Gram-Charlier series. In contrast, in quantum mechanics, approximation methods always retain the manifestly positive aspect of a probability density. We explore this fundamental difference and attempt to modify standard probability theory using the methods of quantum mechanics so that expansions result in a manifestly positive probability density.

Date Published: 14 May 2019
PDF: 13 pages
Proc. SPIE 10988, Automatic Target Recognition XXIX, 109880Q (14 May 2019); doi: 10.1117/12.2520153

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 10988:
Automatic Target Recognition XXIX
Riad I. Hammoud; Timothy L. Overman, Editor(s)