Paper ID: 2410.01516

Bounds on $L_p$ Errors in Density Ratio Estimation via $f$-Divergence Loss Functions

Yoshiaki Kitazawa

Density ratio estimation (DRE) is a fundamental machine learning technique for identifying relationships between two probability distributions. $f$-divergence loss functions, derived from variational representations of $f$-divergence, are commonly employed in DRE to achieve state-of-the-art results. This study presents a novel perspective on DRE using $f$-divergence loss functions by deriving the upper and lower bounds on $L_p$ errors. These bounds apply to any estimator within a class of Lipschitz continuous estimators, irrespective of the specific $f$-divergence loss functions utilized. The bounds are formulated as a product of terms that include the data dimension and the expected value of the density ratio raised to the power of $p$. Notably, the lower bound incorporates an exponential term dependent on the Kullback--Leibler divergence, indicating that the $L_p$ error significantly increases with the Kullback--Leibler divergence for $p > 1$, and this increase becomes more pronounced as $p$ increases. Furthermore, these theoretical findings are substantiated through numerical experiments.

Submitted: Oct 2, 2024