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Fast simulation of truncated Gaussian distributions

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Abstract

We consider the problem of simulating a Gaussian vector X, conditional on the fact that each component of X belongs to a finite interval [a i ,b i ], or a semi-finite interval [a i ,+∞). In the one-dimensional case, we design a table-based algorithm that is computationally faster than alternative algorithms. In the two-dimensional case, we design an accept-reject algorithm. According to our calculations and numerical studies, the acceptance rate of this algorithm is bounded from below by 0.5 for semi-finite truncation intervals, and by 0.47 for finite intervals. Extension to three or more dimensions is discussed.

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Chopin, N. Fast simulation of truncated Gaussian distributions. Stat Comput 21, 275–288 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11222-009-9168-1

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