Descent methods for Nonnegative Matrix Factorization

In this paper, we present several descent methods that can be applied to nonnegative matrix factorization and we analyze a recently developped fast block coordinate method called Rank-one Residue Iteration (RRI). We also give a comparison of these different methods and show that the new block coordinate method has better properties in terms of approximation error and complexity. By interpreting this method as a rank-one approximation of the residue matrix, we prove that it \emph{converges} and also extend it to the nonnegative tensor factorization and introduce some variants of the method by imposing some additional controllable constraints such as: sparsity, discreteness and smoothness.Comment: 47 pages. New convergence proof using damped version of RRI. To appear in Numerical Linear Algebra in Signals, Systems and Control. Accepted. Illustrating Matlab code is included in the source bundl

Image patch analysis of sunspots and active regions. II. Clustering via matrix factorization

Separating active regions that are quiet from potentially eruptive ones is a key issue in Space Weather applications. Traditional classification schemes such as Mount Wilson and McIntosh have been effective in relating an active region large scale magnetic configuration to its ability to produce eruptive events. However, their qualitative nature prevents systematic studies of an active region's evolution for example. We introduce a new clustering of active regions that is based on the local geometry observed in Line of Sight magnetogram and continuum images. We use a reduced-dimension representation of an active region that is obtained by factoring the corresponding data matrix comprised of local image patches. Two factorizations can be compared via the definition of appropriate metrics on the resulting factors. The distances obtained from these metrics are then used to cluster the active regions. We find that these metrics result in natural clusterings of active regions. The clusterings are related to large scale descriptors of an active region such as its size, its local magnetic field distribution, and its complexity as measured by the Mount Wilson classification scheme. We also find that including data focused on the neutral line of an active region can result in an increased correspondence between our clustering results and other active region descriptors such as the Mount Wilson classifications and the $R$ value. We provide some recommendations for which metrics, matrix factorization techniques, and regions of interest to use to study active regions.Comment: Accepted for publication in the Journal of Space Weather and Space Climate (SWSC). 33 pages, 12 figure