Importance Sampling

This research monograph deals with fast stochastic simulation based on im­ portance sampling (IS) principles and some of its applications. It is in large part devoted to an adaptive form of IS that has proved to be effective in appli­ cations that involve the estimation of probabilities of rare events. Rare events are often encountered in scientific and engineering processes. Their charac­ terization is especially important as their occurrence can have catastrophic consequences of varying propor