20 January 2005

Speaker: Phil Gregory (University of British Columbia)

Title: A Bayesian Revolution in Spectral Analysis

Abstract: Science is all about identifying and understanding organized structures or patterns in nature. Periodic patterns have proven especially important. My talk will focus on recent advances in our ability to detect and quantify periodic phenomena that are based on Bayesian probability theory, a mathematical framework that encompasses both inductive and deductive logic. Starting with new insights concerning the Fourier power spectrum, examples will be given from a variety of fields in physics and astronomy.

Video of the Presentation (Talks can be viewed with RealPlayer. Free download is available from www.real.com )

References for students:

1. Gregory, P. C., "Bayesian Analysis of Radio Observations of the Be X-ray Binary LSI+61o 303", Ap.J., 575, 427, 2002
2. Gregory, P. C., "A Bayesian Revolution in Spectral Analysis", in Bayesian Inference and Maximum Entropy Methods in Science and Engineering, Paris 2000, ed. A. Mohammad-Djafari, American Institute of Physics Proceedings, 568, 557, 2001.
3. Gregory, P.C., and Loredo, T.J., "Bayesian Periodic Signal Detection:Analysis of ROSAT Observations of PSR 0540-693", Ap. J., 473, 1059 (1996)