14: Detecting Monotone Data Drift in Galaxy Luminosities

Music City Center 

Luminosity function is a fundamental concept in astrophysics and cosmology, which describes the distribution of luminosities within a group of astronomical objects, such as galaxies. In reality, there could possibly exist a monotone data drift (selection bias) when we collect the data on luminosities: given the same distance, the stars/galaxies with larger luminosity have a higher chance of being observed. This poses challenges for standard estimation procedures. Ignoring this bias can lead to failure. Conversely, procedures accounting for it may be inefficient when there is no selection bias. This poster introduces a semi-parametric procedures for detecting monotone drifts in data with unknown parameters, with its application on a real dataset of galaxy luminosities.

selection bias

semiparametric

luminosity function 

Survey Research Methods Section