Multistage Estimation of the Rayleigh Distribution Variance

Abstract

In this paper we discuss the multistage sequential estimation of the variance of the Rayleigh distribution using the three-stage procedure that was presented by Hall (Ann. Stat. 9(6):1229–1238, 1981). Since the Rayleigh distribution variance is a linear function of the distribution scale parameter’s square, it suffices to estimate the Rayleigh distribution’s scale parameter’s square. We tackle two estimation problems: first, the minimum risk point estimation problem under a squared-error loss function plus linear sampling cost, and the second is a fixed-width confidence interval estimation, using a unified optimal stopping rule. Such an estimation cannot be performed using fixed-width classical procedures due to the non-existence of a fixed sample size that simultaneously achieves both estimation problems. We find all the asymptotic results that enhanced finding the three-stage regret as well as the three-stage fixed-width confidence interval for the desired parameter. The procedure attains asymptotic second-order efficiency and asymptotic consistency. A series of Monte Carlo simulations were conducted to study the procedure’s performance as the optimal sample size increases. We found that the simulation results agree with the asymptotic results.

Keywords

• asymptotic regret
• coverage probability
• loss function
• Monte Carlo simulation
• optimal stopping rule
• three-stage procedure