posterior-landscape: morphological feature finding in two-dimensional probability densities
We present posterior-landscape, a Python framework to identify and characterize morphological features in two-dimensional probability densities. The framework combines concepts from topological data analysis, statistical density-ridge estimation, and scale-space image analysis. It extracts localized concentrations, valleys, ridges, and changes of slope; for Bayesian reconstructions, it propagates uncertainty in feature recovery, geometry, and correspondence across posteriors. The framework also connects two-dimensional structures to features in one-dimensional marginals, and quantifies their correlation with other inferred parameters. We validate the method on controlled densities, and demonstrate its use on gravitational-wave population reconstructions, where it provides a systematic way to identify and interpret population features and assess which ones carry information relevant for cosmology. The resulting catalogues also offer a common morphological representation for future comparisons between predictions and population reconstructions.
Authors
- Viola De Renzis (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7038-735X)
- Michele Mancarella (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0675-508X)
- A. Agapito (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0005-9004-3163)
Publication Details
- Journal
- arXiv (Cornell University)
- Published
- 2026-10-29
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.48550/arxiv.2610.40272
- Primary Topic
- Topological and Geometric Data Analysis
- Type
- preprint