Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2016 iii Paper 206 2 f Solution 2026-10-06
Assume the known covariance matrix is positive definite. The Gaussian likelihood, up to constants, isIts gradient is . The negative Hessian matrix is positive definite because has full column rank. Thus the unique maximum-likelihood estimator is the generalized least squares estimatorIt is unbiased, and multiplication of its linear coefficient matrix by givesIn fact . Equivalently, a whitening transformation premultiplies and by , after which ordinary least squares applies. There is no extra factor when is the complete known covariance; such a factor appears if only a shape matrix is known and .