Linear latent coordinates are not unique without constraints

ID: linear-latent-coordinates-are-not-unique-without-constraints

In the observation model , let be an orthogonal matrix. Replacing by and by leaves unchanged because . Thus reconstruction alone does not give each latent axis a unique biological meaning. A particular stochastic model can restrict this symmetry through its prior and parameter constraints; the algebra does not claim every fitted latent model has every rotational ambiguity.

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