arXiv Machine Learning

Functional-prior-based approaches to Bayesian PDE-constrained inversion using physics-informed neural networks

arXiv:2605. 07060v3 Announce Type: replace-cross Abstract: Physics-informed neural networks (PINNs) provide a mesh-free framework for solving PDE-constrained inverse problems, but their extension to Bayesian inversion still faces a fundamental difficulty: prior distributions are typically defined in the weight space of neural networks, whereas physically meaningful prior assumptions are more naturally expressed in function space.

arXiv Statistics ML
Sep 14

PDE-constrained inverse problems at the $\sqrt{n}$ rate via debiased physics-informed neural networks

The paper introduces a two‑step debiased estimation method for PDE‑constrained inverse problems where the PDE solution is approximated by Physics‑Informed Neural Networks (PINNs). By combining neural‑network‑based nonparametric estimation with an influence‑function bias correction, the authors achieve a √{n}-consistent, asymptotically normal estimator without undersmoothing the neural network. The approach is extended to Bayesian inference, yielding a posterior that contracts at the √{n}-rate with asymptotic covariance matching the frequentist estimator, and the analysis also provides near‑minimax rates for estimating nonparametric regression functions and their derivatives in Sobolev spaces.

By Yves Atchade, Debarghya Mukherjee
arXiv Machine Learning
Aug 31

Examining the robustness of Physics-Informed Neural Networks to noise for Inverse Problems

The paper evaluates the robustness of Physics‑Informed Neural Networks (PINNs) against noisy data in inverse problems, comparing them to a finite element method (FEM) plus optimizer baseline. Experiments on viscosity identification in 1D Burgers’ equation and 2D/3D Taylor‑Green Vortex with additive Gaussian noise show that PINNs, while requiring less human expertise, are outperformed by the traditional FEM approach in accuracy (e.g., RMSE 0.01 vs. 0.0013 for 2D Taylor‑Green with σ=1). PINNs do, however, exhibit better scaling with problem complexity, and the study highlights specific training failures that must be addressed for PINNs to become more competitive.

By Aleksandra Jekic, Afroditi Natsaridou, Signe Riemer-S{\o}rensen, Helge Langseth, Odd Erik Gundersen
arXiv AI
Jul 20

Energy-based Transport for Amortized Bayesian Inference

arXiv:2605. 15407v3 Announce Type: replace-cross Abstract: We consider amortized Bayesian inference for nonlinear inverse problems using only samples from the joint distribution of parameters and observations, including problems with unknown functions in a Banach space.

By Ricardo Baptista, Hojjat Kaveh, Andrew M. Stuart
arXiv Machine Learning
Jun 11

Adjoint Method versus Physics-Informed Neural Networks in PDE-Constrained Inverse Problems

arXiv:2606. 12337v1 Announce Type: cross Abstract: Inverse problems governed by partial differential equations (PDEs) are central to computational mechanics and are commonly solved by adjoint-based optimization, while physics-informed neural networks (PINNs) have emerged as a flexible alternative.

By Zhen Zhang, Alessandro Alla, George Em Karniadakis