arXiv Machine Learning

Improved Analysis for Hessian-free High-resolution Monte Carlo Sampling

The paper introduces Hessian-free high-resolution (HFHR) dynamics, an extension of underdamped Langevin dynamics that incorporates reversible position diffusion for sampling in machine learning. It provides an explicit quantitative contraction rate under a position Poincaré inequality, weighted Hessian and Laplacian bounds, and a compact Sobolev embedding, even when the potential is non‑convex. For the HFHR Monte Carlo algorithm, a path‑space Girsanov argument yields a non‑asymptotic convergence bound and an explicit iteration complexity in total variation distance, improving on previous HFHR results and demonstrating benefits of a positive diffusion parameter through numerical experiments.

arXiv Machine Learning
Oct 8

Reflected Anchored Langevin Algorithms

The paper introduces Reflected Anchored Langevin Dynamics (RALD), a reflected diffusion that can converge to non‑differentiable target distributions on constrained domains. By employing a smooth anchored reference potential and scaling the drift and noise covariance with a state‑dependent factor, the authors derive an Euler‑Maruyama discretization with projection, yielding the Reflected Anchored Langevin Monte Carlo (RALMC) algorithm. Explicit convergence bounds and iteration complexity in the 2‑Wasserstein distance are proven, and numerical experiments confirm the theoretical predictions and empirical performance.

By Changwei Tu, Xiaoyu Wang, Yingli Wang, Xicheng Zhang, Lingjiong Zhu
arXiv Machine Learning
Sep 23

Penalized Nonreversible Langevin for Constrained Sampling

The paper introduces penalized nonreversible Langevin algorithms for sampling from a target distribution constrained to a compact convex set. It combines a squared distance penalty with skew-symmetric perturbations that preserve the penalized Gibbs distribution, and provides nonasymptotic total variation and Wasserstein bounds under various smoothness and contraction assumptions. Numerical experiments demonstrate the methods on constrained Bayesian regression, classification, neural networks, and truncated sampling, highlighting acceleration in a stochastic quadratic model.

By Pervez Ali, Weihao Dong, Xiaoyu Wang
arXiv Statistics ML
Aug 26

A Non-asymptotic Analysis for Learning and Applying a Preconditioner in MCMC

The paper presents a non‑asymptotic analysis of Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) algorithms that learn and apply a preconditioner based on either the target covariance or the expected Hessian of the target potential. It compares the finite‑time computational costs of these preconditioned schemes with unpreconditioned counterparts, providing guarantees for algorithms such as the Unadjusted Langevin Algorithm (ULA) and the proximal sampler. The analysis relies on a contraction assumption in the Wasserstein‑2 distance to formalize approximate independence and bridge modern MCMC theory with classical effective sample size heuristics.

By Max Hird, Florian Maire, Jeffrey Negrea
arXiv Statistics ML
Sep 28

First-Order Stationarity of Reverse Diffusions

The paper establishes a first‑order theoretical framework for diffusion models, showing that SDE‑based reverse‑time flows of both overdamped and underdamped Langevin diffusions contract relative Fisher divergences at explicit exponential rates when the stationary potential of the forward process is strongly convex. It further incorporates discretization to provide averaged first‑order stationarity bounds—sampling analogues of averaged gradient‑norm guarantees in nonconvex optimization—for samplers of both diffusion models. These results highlight a unique advantage of SDE‑based reverse diffusion over ODE‑based approaches, offering local convexity‑free certificates that ensure score consistency rather than global mode weights.

By Zhifeng Chen, Chenyang Jiang, Yazhen Wang
arXiv Machine Learning
Jun 17

Randomized Midpoint Method for Log-Concave Sampling under Constraints

arXiv:2405. 15379v3 Announce Type: replace-cross Abstract: In this paper, we study the problem of sampling from log-concave distributions supported on convex and compact sets, with a particular focus on the randomized midpoint discretization of both overdamped and kinetic Langevin diffusions in constrained domains.

By Yifeng Yu, Shijie Zhang, Lu Yu
arXiv Statistics ML
Sep 25

Global Convergence of Third-Order Langevin Dynamics for Non-Convex Optimization via Simulated Annealing

The paper establishes global convergence guarantees for third‑order Langevin dynamics applied to non‑convex optimization via simulated annealing with fixed friction and decreasing noise. It shows that, under dissipativity, regularity, and low‑temperature functional‑inequality assumptions, a logarithmic cooling schedule drives objective values to the global minimum with a barrier‑controlled kinetic rate, and that polynomially decreasing step sizes preserve this rate for both exact‑force‑integral and midpoint three‑stage discretizations. Numerical experiments on a double‑well problem and high‑dimensional neural‑network objectives demonstrate that third‑order Langevin schemes outperform overdamped Langevin dynamics and, in some cases, the one‑gradient UBU integrator in terms of terminal‑success point estimates and post‑quench test accuracy.

By Yingli Wang, Kelvin Shuangjian Zhang, Lingjiong Zhu