Relative Wasserstein Angle and the Problem of the $W_2$-Nearest Gaussian Distribution
Read the original on arXiv Machine Learning →The paper introduces a geometric framework for measuring how far empirical datasets deviate from the Gaussian family using optimal transport theory. It defines two new quantities—the relative Wasserstein angle and the orthogonal projection distance—based on the cone structure of the relative translation invariant quadratic Wasserstein space, and shows that the usual moment‑matching Gaussian is not generally the $W_2$‑nearest Gaussian. Closed‑form expressions are derived for one‑dimensional and several location–scale families, while a numerical approximation is proposed for higher dimensions, with experiments demonstrating convergence, stability, and the angle’s robustness as a non‑Gaussianity indicator.
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