ENH: add parameter finder for degrees or freedom for students_t distribution

doc/distributions/students_t.qbk

@@ -29,6 +29,11 @@
          RealType beta,
          RealType sd,
          RealType hint = 100);
+
+      // degrees of freedom inversion from a quantile and probability:
+      BOOST_MATH_GPU_ENABLED static RealType invert_probability_with_respect_to_degrees_of_freedom(
+         RealType x,
+         RealType p);
    };
 
    }} // namespaces
@@ -106,6 +111,13 @@ For more information on this function see the
 [@http://www.itl.nist.gov/div898/handbook/prc/section2/prc222.htm
 NIST Engineering Statistics Handbook].
 
+   BOOST_MATH_GPU_ENABLED static RealType invert_probability_with_respect_to_degrees_of_freedom(
+      RealType x,
+      RealType p);
+
+Returns the degrees of freedom [nu] such that CDF(/x/; [nu]) = /p/.
+Requires 0 < /p/ < 1 and /x/ [ne] 0, otherwise calls __domain_error.
+
 [h4 Non-member Accessors]
 
 All the [link math_toolkit.dist_ref.nmp usual non-member accessor functions] that are generic to all
@@ -164,6 +176,7 @@ without the subtraction implied above.]]
 [[skewness][if (v > 3) 0 else NaN ]]
 [[kurtosis][if (v > 4) 3 * (v - 2) \/ (v - 4) else NaN]]
 [[kurtosis excess][if (v > 4) 6 \/ (df - 4) else NaN]]
+[[invert_probability_with_respect_to_degrees_of_freedom][Uses a 2nd-order Edgeworth expansion as initial guess for a numerical root finder]]
 ]
 
 If the moment index /k/ is less than /v/, then the moment is undefined.

include/boost/math/distributions/students_t.hpp

@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@
 #include <boost/math/distributions/fwd.hpp>
 #include <boost/math/special_functions/beta.hpp> // for ibeta(a, b, x).
 #include <boost/math/special_functions/digamma.hpp>
+#include <boost/math/special_functions/relative_difference.hpp>
 #include <boost/math/distributions/complement.hpp>
 #include <boost/math/distributions/detail/common_error_handling.hpp>
 #include <boost/math/distributions/normal.hpp> 
@@ -58,6 +59,10 @@ class students_t_distribution
       RealType sd,
       RealType hint = 100);
 
+   BOOST_MATH_GPU_ENABLED static RealType invert_probability_with_respect_to_degrees_of_freedom(
+      RealType x,
+      RealType p);
+
 private:
    // Data member:
    RealType df_;  // degrees of freedom is a real number > 0 or +infinity.
@@ -281,6 +286,11 @@ BOOST_MATH_GPU_ENABLED inline RealType quantile(const complemented2_type<student
 // Parameter estimation follows:
 //
 namespace detail{
+
+// Minimum degrees-of-freedom used as the warm-start fallback when the
+// Edgeworth approximation yields no valid positive root or is inaccurate
+constexpr double df_hint_fallback = 0.01;
+
 //
 // Functors for finding degrees of freedom:
 //
@@ -308,6 +318,94 @@ struct sample_size_func
    RealType alpha, beta, ratio;
 };
 
+template <class RealType, class Policy>
+struct cdf_to_df_func
+{
+   BOOST_MATH_GPU_ENABLED cdf_to_df_func(RealType x_val, RealType p_val, bool c)
+      : x(x_val), p(p_val), comp(c) {}
+
+   BOOST_MATH_GPU_ENABLED RealType operator()(const RealType& df)
+   {
+      students_t_distribution<RealType, Policy> t(df);
+      return comp ?
+         RealType(p - cdf(complement(t, x)))
+         : RealType(cdf(t, x) - p);
+   }
+   RealType x, p;
+   bool comp;
+};
+
+//
+// Shared root-finding helper used by both find_degrees_of_freedom and
+// invert_probability_with_respect_to_degrees_of_freedom.
+//
+template <class RealType, class Policy, class Func>
+BOOST_MATH_GPU_ENABLED RealType solve_for_degrees_of_freedom(
+   Func f,
+   RealType hint,
+   bool rising,
+   const char* function,
+   Policy const&)
+{
+   tools::eps_tolerance<RealType> tol(policies::digits<RealType, Policy>());
+   boost::math::uintmax_t max_iter = policies::get_max_root_iterations<Policy>();
+   boost::math::pair<RealType, RealType> r = tools::bracket_and_solve_root(
+      f, hint, RealType(2), rising, tol, max_iter, Policy());
+   RealType result = r.first + (r.second - r.first) / 2;
+   if (max_iter >= policies::get_max_root_iterations<Policy>())
+   {
+      return policies::raise_evaluation_error<RealType>(function, // LCOV_EXCL_LINE
+         "Unable to locate solution in a reasonable time: either there is no answer to " // LCOV_EXCL_LINE
+         "the degrees of freedom or the answer is infinite. Current best guess is %1%", // LCOV_EXCL_LINE
+         result, Policy()); // LCOV_EXCL_LINE
+   }
+   return result;
+}
+
+//
+// Edgeworth warm-start for invert_probability_with_respect_to_degrees_of_freedom.
+// On success writes a df estimate into 'result' and returns true.
+// Returns false when no positive root is found; 'result' is left unchanged.
+//
+template <class RealType, class Policy>
+BOOST_MATH_GPU_ENABLED bool approximate_df_with_edgeworth_expansion(RealType x, RealType p, RealType& result)
+{
+   BOOST_MATH_STD_USING
+   // F(x; nu) ~ cdf_normal(x) - pdf_normal(x)*(x + x^3)/(4*nu) + pdf_normal(x)*(3x + 5x^3 + 7x^5 - 3x^7)/(96*nu^2)
+   // Substituting u = 1/nu and setting F(x; nu) = p gives b*u^2 - a*u + c = 0, where:
+   //   a = pdf_normal(x) * (x + x^3) / 4
+   //   b = pdf_normal(x) * (3x + 5x^3 + 7x^5 - 3x^7) / 96
+   //   c = cdf_normal(x) - p
+   normal_distribution<RealType, Policy> std_normal(0, 1);
+   RealType pdf_val = pdf(std_normal, x);
+   RealType cdf_val = cdf(std_normal, x);
+
+   RealType x2 = x * x;
+   RealType x3 = x2 * x;
+   RealType x5 = x3 * x2;
+   RealType x7 = x5 * x2;
+
+   RealType a = pdf_val * (x + x3) / 4;
+   RealType b = pdf_val * (3 * x + 5 * x3 + 7 * x5 - 3 * x7) / 96;
+   RealType c = cdf_val - p;
+
+   RealType discriminant = a * a - 4 * b * c;
+   if (discriminant >= 0 && b != 0)
+   {
+      RealType sqrt_disc = sqrt(discriminant);
+      // The two roots of b*u^2 - a*u + c = 0. Pick the smallest positive u (= largest df = 1/u).
+      RealType u = (a - sqrt_disc) / (2 * b);
+      if (u <= 0)
+         u = (a + sqrt_disc) / (2 * b);
+      if (u > 0)
+      {
+         result = 1 / u;
+         return true;
+      }
+   }
+   return false;
+}
+
 }  // namespace detail
 
 template <class RealType, class Policy>
@@ -332,16 +430,53 @@ BOOST_MATH_GPU_ENABLED RealType students_t_distribution<RealType, Policy>::find_
       hint = 1;
 
    detail::sample_size_func<RealType, Policy> f(alpha, beta, sd, difference_from_mean);
-   tools::eps_tolerance<RealType> tol(policies::digits<RealType, Policy>());
-   boost::math::uintmax_t max_iter = policies::get_max_root_iterations<Policy>();
-   boost::math::pair<RealType, RealType> r = tools::bracket_and_solve_root(f, hint, RealType(2), false, tol, max_iter, Policy());
-   RealType result = r.first + (r.second - r.first) / 2;
-   if(max_iter >= policies::get_max_root_iterations<Policy>())
+   return detail::solve_for_degrees_of_freedom(f, hint, false, function, Policy());
+}
+
+template <class RealType, class Policy>
+BOOST_MATH_GPU_ENABLED RealType students_t_distribution<RealType, Policy>::invert_probability_with_respect_to_degrees_of_freedom(
+      RealType x,
+      RealType p)
+{
+   BOOST_MATH_STD_USING // for ADL of std functions
+   constexpr auto function = "boost::math::students_t_distribution<%1%>::invert_probability_with_respect_to_degrees_of_freedom";
+   //
+   // Check for domain errors:
+   //
+   RealType error_result;
+   if (false == detail::check_probability(function, p, &error_result, Policy()))
+      return error_result;
+
+   if (x == 0)
    {
-      return policies::raise_evaluation_error<RealType>(function, "Unable to locate solution in a reasonable time: either there is no answer to how many degrees of freedom are required" // LCOV_EXCL_LINE
-         " or the answer is infinite.  Current best guess is %1%", result, Policy()); // LCOV_EXCL_LINE
+      // CDF(0; df) = 0.5 for all df; only solvable when p == 0.5.
+      if (p == static_cast<RealType>(0.5))
+         return policies::raise_overflow_error<RealType>(function, 0, Policy());
+      return policies::raise_domain_error<RealType>(
+         function,
+         "No degrees of freedom can satisfy CDF(0; df) == %1% (must be 0.5).",
+         p, Policy());
    }
-   return result;
+
+   // Edgeworth warm start: compute a df estimate; fall back to df_hint_fallback if it fails
+   // or is too inaccurate
+   RealType hint = static_cast<RealType>(detail::df_hint_fallback);
+   if (detail::approximate_df_with_edgeworth_expansion<RealType, Policy>(x, p, hint))
+   {
+      // Check that approximation is at least somewhat close;
+      // for small degrees of freedom it does not fail but is very inaccurate.
+      RealType relative_error_threshold = static_cast<RealType>(0.1);
+      students_t_distribution<RealType, Policy> t_approx(hint);
+      RealType p_approx = cdf(t_approx, x);
+      if (relative_difference(p_approx, p) > relative_error_threshold)
+         hint = static_cast<RealType>(detail::df_hint_fallback);
+   }
+   // Root-find on f(df) = CDF(x; df) - p.
+   // CDF(x; df) is strictly increasing in df for x > 0, decreasing for x < 0.
+   // Use the smaller of p and q=1-p to avoid cancellation near 1.
+   RealType q = 1 - p;
+   detail::cdf_to_df_func<RealType, Policy> f(x, p < q ? p : q, p < q ? false : true);
+   return detail::solve_for_degrees_of_freedom(f, hint, x > 0, function, Policy());
 }
 
 template <class RealType, class Policy>

test/test_students_t.cpp

@@ -548,6 +548,131 @@ void test_spots(RealType)
          static_cast<RealType>(1.0))),
          9);
 
+    // Tests for invert_probability_with_respect_to_degrees_of_freedom.
+    // Each case is derived from the CDF spot tests above: the exact df is known,
+    // so we verify that inverting CDF(x; df) = p recovers df to tight tolerance.
+    // float has ~7 significant digits; large-df inversion is ill-conditioned at that precision,
+    // so use a looser tolerance for single precision.
+    RealType tol_inv_df = std::is_same<RealType, float>::value
+       ? static_cast<RealType>(0.1)   // float:  0.1%
+       : static_cast<RealType>(0.01); // double+: 0.01%
+    BOOST_CHECK_CLOSE(
+       students_t_distribution<RealType>::invert_probability_with_respect_to_degrees_of_freedom(
+          static_cast<RealType>(-6.96455673428326),
+          static_cast<RealType>(0.01)),
+       static_cast<RealType>(2),
+       tol_inv_df);
+    BOOST_CHECK_CLOSE(
+       students_t_distribution<RealType>::invert_probability_with_respect_to_degrees_of_freedom(
+          static_cast<RealType>(-3.36492999890721),
+          static_cast<RealType>(0.01)),
+       static_cast<RealType>(5),
+       tol_inv_df);
+    BOOST_CHECK_CLOSE(
+       students_t_distribution<RealType>::invert_probability_with_respect_to_degrees_of_freedom(
+          static_cast<RealType>(-0.559429644),
+          static_cast<RealType>(0.3)),
+       static_cast<RealType>(5),
+       tol_inv_df);
+    BOOST_CHECK_CLOSE(
+       students_t_distribution<RealType>::invert_probability_with_respect_to_degrees_of_freedom(
+          static_cast<RealType>(1.475884049),
+          static_cast<RealType>(0.9)),
+       static_cast<RealType>(5),
+       tol_inv_df);
+    BOOST_CHECK_CLOSE(
+       students_t_distribution<RealType>::invert_probability_with_respect_to_degrees_of_freedom(
+          static_cast<RealType>(-1.475884049),
+          static_cast<RealType>(0.1)),
+       static_cast<RealType>(5),
+       tol_inv_df);
+    BOOST_CHECK_CLOSE(
+       students_t_distribution<RealType>::invert_probability_with_respect_to_degrees_of_freedom(
+          static_cast<RealType>(-5.2410429995425),
+          static_cast<RealType>(0.00001)),
+       static_cast<RealType>(25),
+       tol_inv_df);
+    BOOST_CHECK_CLOSE(
+       students_t_distribution<RealType>::invert_probability_with_respect_to_degrees_of_freedom(
+          static_cast<RealType>(6.96455673428326),
+          static_cast<RealType>(0.99)),
+       static_cast<RealType>(2),
+       tol_inv_df);
+    BOOST_CHECK_CLOSE(
+       students_t_distribution<RealType>::invert_probability_with_respect_to_degrees_of_freedom(
+          static_cast<RealType>(2),
+          static_cast<RealType>(0.610822886098362)),
+       static_cast<RealType>(0.1),
+       tol_inv_df);
+    BOOST_CHECK_CLOSE(
+       students_t_distribution<RealType>::invert_probability_with_respect_to_degrees_of_freedom(
+          static_cast<RealType>(2),
+          static_cast<RealType>(0.777242554908434)),
+       static_cast<RealType>(0.5),
+       tol_inv_df);
+    BOOST_CHECK_CLOSE(
+       students_t_distribution<RealType>::invert_probability_with_respect_to_degrees_of_freedom(
+          static_cast<RealType>(2),
+          static_cast<RealType>(0.822925875908677)),
+       static_cast<RealType>(0.75),
+       tol_inv_df);
+    BOOST_CHECK_CLOSE(
+       students_t_distribution<RealType>::invert_probability_with_respect_to_degrees_of_freedom(
+          static_cast<RealType>(2),
+          static_cast<RealType>(0.977114826753374)),
+       static_cast<RealType>(1000),
+       tol_inv_df);
+    BOOST_CHECK_CLOSE(
+       students_t_distribution<RealType>::invert_probability_with_respect_to_degrees_of_freedom(
+          static_cast<RealType>(1),
+          static_cast<RealType>(0.8413326478347855)),
+       static_cast<RealType>(1e4),
+       tol_inv_df * static_cast<RealType>(5)); // Looser tolerance for ill-conditioned problem with very large df
+    // Small df edge cases where approximation becomes problematic: would need different values for float
+    // For now just test double and long double to have test overage of these code paths
+    if (!std::is_same<RealType, float>::value)
+    {
+       // Small df case 1: Edgeworth expansion breaks down for small degrees of freedom, use fallback
+       BOOST_CHECK_CLOSE(
+          students_t_distribution<RealType>::invert_probability_with_respect_to_degrees_of_freedom(
+             static_cast<RealType>(1e20),
+             static_cast<RealType>(0.5244796002843015)),
+          static_cast<RealType>(1e-3),
+          tol_inv_df);
+       // Small df case 2: Edgeworth expansion succeeds but is inaccurate, use fallback
+       BOOST_CHECK_CLOSE(
+          students_t_distribution<RealType>::invert_probability_with_respect_to_degrees_of_freedom(
+             static_cast<RealType>(2.0),
+             static_cast<RealType>(0.500000000644961)),
+          static_cast<RealType>(1e-10),
+          tol_inv_df);
+    }
+    // Domain error: p outside (0,1)
+#ifndef BOOST_NO_EXCEPTIONS
+    BOOST_MATH_CHECK_THROW(
+       students_t_distribution<RealType>::invert_probability_with_respect_to_degrees_of_freedom(
+          static_cast<RealType>(2),
+          static_cast<RealType>(-0.1)),
+       std::domain_error);
+    BOOST_MATH_CHECK_THROW(
+       students_t_distribution<RealType>::invert_probability_with_respect_to_degrees_of_freedom(
+          static_cast<RealType>(2),
+          static_cast<RealType>(1.1)),
+       std::domain_error);
+    // x == 0, p != 0.5: no df can satisfy CDF(0; df) == p -> domain error
+    BOOST_MATH_CHECK_THROW(
+       students_t_distribution<RealType>::invert_probability_with_respect_to_degrees_of_freedom(
+          static_cast<RealType>(0),
+          static_cast<RealType>(0.3)),
+       std::domain_error);
+    // x == 0, p == 0.5: CDF(0; df) == 0.5 for all df -> overflow (infinite solutions)
+    BOOST_MATH_CHECK_THROW(
+       students_t_distribution<RealType>::invert_probability_with_respect_to_degrees_of_freedom(
+          static_cast<RealType>(0),
+          static_cast<RealType>(0.5)),
+       std::overflow_error);
+#endif
+
     // Test for large degrees of freedom when should be same as normal.
     RealType inf = std::numeric_limits<RealType>::infinity();
     RealType nan = std::numeric_limits<RealType>::quiet_NaN();