On EM algorithms and their proximal generalizations

Abstract: In this paper, we analyze the celebrated EM algorithm from the point of view of proximal point algorithms. More precisely, we study a new type of generalization of the EM procedure introduced in \cite{Chretien&Hero:98} and called Kullback-proximal algorithms. The proximal framework allows us to prove new results concerning the cluster points. An essential contribution is a detailed analysis of the case where some cluster points lie on the boundary of the parameter space.