In this paper, we study Tikhonov regularization scheme in Hilbert scales for a nonlinear statistical inverse problem with general noise. The regularizing norm in this scheme is stronger than the norm in the Hilbert space. We focus on developing a theoretical analysis for this scheme based on conditional stability estimates. We utilize the concept of the distance function to establish high probability estimates of the direct and reconstruction errors in the Reproducing Kernel Hilbert space setting. Furthermore, explicit rates of convergence in terms of sample size are established for the oversmoothing case and the regular case over the regularity class defined through an appropriate source condition. Our results improve upon and generalize previous results obtained in related settings.

Abstract We study linear ill-posed inverse problems with noisy data in the framework of statistical learning. The corresponding linear operator equation is assumed to fit a given Hilbert scale, generated by some unbounded self-adjoint operator. Approximate reconstructions from random noisy data are obtained with general regularization schemes in such a way that these belong to the domain of the generator. The analysis has thus to distinguish two cases, the regular one, when the true solution also belongs to the domain of the generator, and the ‘oversmoothing’ one, when this is not the case. Rates of convergence for the regularized solutions will be expressed in terms of certain distance functions. For solutions with smoothness given in terms of source conditions with respect to the scale generating operator, then the error bounds can then be made explicit in terms of the sample size.