diff --git a/pyerrors/obs.py b/pyerrors/obs.py index 613daf26..de8c8425 100644 --- a/pyerrors/obs.py +++ b/pyerrors/obs.py @@ -1351,7 +1351,7 @@ def covariance(obs, visualize=False, correlation=False, **kwargs): Notes ----- The covariance is estimated by calculating the correlation matrix assuming no autocorrelation and then rescaling the correlation matrix by the full errors including the previous gamma method estimate for the autocorrelation of the observables. The covariance at windowsize 0 is guaranteed to be positive semi-definite - $$v_i\Gamma_{ij}(0)v_j=\frac{1}{N}\sum_{s=1}^N\sum_{i,j}v_i\delta_i^s\delta_j^s v_j=\frac{1}{N}\sum_{s=1}^N\sum_{i}|v_i\delta_i^s|^2\geq 0\,,$$ for every $v_i\in\mathbb{R}^N$, while such an identity does not hold for larger windows/lags. + $$v_i\Gamma_{ij}(0)v_j=\frac{1}{N}\sum_{s=1}^N\sum_{i,j}v_i\delta_i^s\delta_j^s v_j=\frac{1}{N}\sum_{s=1}^N\sum_{i}|v_i\delta_i^s|^2\geq 0\,,$$ for every $v\in\mathbb{R}^M$, while such an identity does not hold for larger windows/lags. For observables defined on a single ensemble our approximation is equivalent to assuming that the integrated autocorrelation time of an off-diagonal element is equal to the geometric mean of the integrated autocorrelation times of the corresponding diagonal elements. $$\tau_{\mathrm{int}, ij}=\sqrt{\tau_{\mathrm{int}, i}\times \tau_{\mathrm{int}, j}}$$ This construction ensures that the estimated covariance matrix is positive semi-definite (up to numerical rounding errors).