A new variational inference method using optimal transport.
problem Approximating complex posterior distributions with flexible particle-based methods.
method Introducing a new particle-based variational inference method based on semi-discrete optimal transport.
result The method provides a particle approximation and optimal transportation densities.
TSC uses HMC and adaptive transport maps to optimize forward KL for variational inference.
problem Variational inference underestimates uncertainty when minimizing reverse KL.
method TSC uses Hamiltonian Monte Carlo and adaptive transport maps to optimize KL(p||q).
result TSC achieves competitive performance in training variational autoencoders on large-scale data.
Paper uses optimal transport for Bayesian filtering, deriving new EnKF and FPF formulations.
problem Bayesian filtering for nonlinear systems with non-Gaussian observations.
method Optimal transport theory applied to Bayes' law, constructing Brenier maps.
result New variational formulations of EnKF and FPF for non-Gaussian settings.
Unified deep learning framework solves various optimal transport problems.
problem Solving variational problems in optimal transport with computational challenges.
method Unified deep learning framework leveraging dual formulation of Lagrangians.
result Outperforms previous approaches in single-cell trajectory inference.
In this paper, we develop several related finite dimensional variational principles for discrete optimal transport (DOT), Minkowski type problems for convex polytopes and discrete Monge-Ampere equation (DMAE). A link between the discrete optimal transport, discrete Monge-Ampere equation and the power diagram in computa…
Introduces VSMD to improve generative diffusion processes without high costs.
problem High training costs and scalability issues in generative diffusion processes.
method Introduces variational Schrödinger momentum diffusion (VSMD) with adaptively transport-optimized variational scores and critical-damping transform.
result Efficiently generates anisotropic shapes while maintaining transport efficacy, outperforming alternatives.
CMCD sampler connects transport and variational inference for efficient sampling.
problem Efficient sampling and generative modeling in Bayesian computation.
method Developed a principled framework using divergences on path space, CMCD sampler with adaptive dynamics.
result CMCD sampler outperforms competing approaches across various experiments.
A new model corrects inhomogeneity in Optimal Transport with Boundary.
problem Inhomogeneity in UROT models for Optimal Transport with Boundary.
method Proposed a modified entropic regularization term to make UROT models homogeneous.
result Homogeneous UROT model preserves properties of standard UROT while correcting inhomogeneity.
Develops methods for structured variational inference with star-structured models.
problem Inference in models with interdependent variables.
method Star-structured variational inference, existence, uniqueness, self-consistency proofs, approximation error bounds, gradient-based algorithm.
result First results for existence, uniqueness, and self-consistency of variational approximations in star-structured models.
Unified framework for constructing kernels for transport equations and Koopman eigenfunctions.
problem Constructing kernels for transport equations and Koopman eigenfunctions.
method Three methods: variational principle, Green's function, and resolvent operator.
result Kernels constructed via these methods are identical under mild assumptions.
New algorithm radVI improves variational inference by optimizing radial profiles.
problem Gaussian approximations often fail to capture the radial profile of complex distributions.
method Optimizes over radial profiles in variational inference, providing theoretical guarantees.
result Theoretical convergence guarantees for radVI, improving over existing VI methods.
Regularizes optimal transport for easier computation and stability.
problem Computational challenges in optimal transport problems.
method Semi-dual formulations and entropic regularization.
result Smooth variational problems for simpler implementation and stability.
Study on geometric variational problems for existence, regularity, and uniqueness of solutions.
problem Geometric variational problems, focusing on existence, regularity, and uniqueness of solutions.
method Formulated in Federer and Fleming's theory of currents, discussed the existence theory, and presented core ideas of the (interior) regularity theory for area-minimizing currents and optimal transport paths. Two original results on generic uniqueness of solutions were presented.
result Generic uniqueness of solutions for both Plateau's problem and optimal branched transport problem.
A new variational inference method using sliced Wasserstein distance is proposed.
problem The inefficiency and unreasonable properties of Kullback-Leibler divergence.
method Minimizing sliced Wasserstein distance, a valid metric from optimal transport.
result The proposed method approximates the unnormalized distribution efficiently and without requiring a tractable density function.
Algorithm improves variational inference in Wasserstein distance.
problem Improving variational inference methods for complex models.
method Wasserstein contraction analysis of coordinate ascent.
result General and sharp convergence guarantees for various models.
A new algorithm for optimizing probability distributions converges linearly.
problem Optimizing functionals over families of probability distributions.
method Variational transport: particle-based algorithm approximating Wasserstein gradient descent.
result Variational transport converges linearly to the global minimum of the objective functional.
Bispectral OT improves dataset comparison by preserving intrinsic coherence.
problem Ignoring intrinsic coherence in dataset comparisons using pairwise geometric distances.
method Introduces Bispectral Optimal Transport, a symmetry-aware extension of discrete OT.
result Transport plans computed with Bispectral OT achieve greater class preservation accuracy.
The paper studies stability of mean-field variational inference for log-concave distributions.
problem Stability of mean-field variational inference for log-concave distributions.
method Novel approach via linearized optimal transport, lifting non-convex problem to convex optimization over transport maps.
result Dimension-free Lipschitz continuity of the MFVI optimizer with respect to the target distribution, measured in 2-Wasserstein distance.
New metric for probability measures connects physics and geometry.
problem Developing a new metric for probability measures.
method Transport Hessian metric, formulated dynamical systems.
result Connections to physics equations and mathematical models.
Study on curves in Riemannian surfaces, focusing on total intrinsic curvature.
problem Understanding the total intrinsic curvature of irregular curves in Riemannian surfaces.
method Weak notion of parallel transport, bounded variation of angle, energy functional analysis.
result Total intrinsic curvature of irregular curves matches an energy functional.
s-OTDD compares datasets efficiently without training, robust to class variations.
problem Efficiently compare datasets without training or class variations.
method Moment Transform Projection (MTP) and sliced optimal transport.
result s-OTDD correlates with optimal transport and transfer learning performance.
CAVI converges for log-concave measures via optimal transport.
problem Finding the closest product measure to a log-concave measure via CAVI.
method Adapting coordinate descent techniques from Euclidean space to optimal transport for log-concave densities.
result Proves convergence of CAVI for log-concave densities and provides rates of convergence under additional conditions.
CRAFT improves on existing methods for sampling complex distributions.
problem Sampling from complex probability distributions.
method Combines SMC with variational inference using normalizing flows.
result Improves on Annealed Flow Transport Monte Carlo and MCMC-based Stochastic Normalizing Flows.
PA reinterpreted as SB problem, unifying thermodynamics and optimal transport.
problem Optimizing discrete-time paths between probability distributions.
method Schrödinger Bridge theory, solving variational problems.
result PA's reweighting step derived from Schrödinger system.
Differentiable PF via entropy-regularized OT for better inference.
problem Non-differentiability of traditional PF resampling methods.
method Entropy-regularized optimal transport for differentiable resampling.
result Convergent differentiable PF method with improved gradient estimates.
This paper focuses on martingale optimal transport problems when the martingales are assumed to have bounded quadratic variation. First, we give a result that characterizes the existence of a probability measure satisfying some convex transport constraints in addition to having given initial and terminal marginals. Sev…
Random scan CAVI converges linearly under log-concave assumptions.
problem Analyzing the convergence rate of random scan Coordinate Ascent Variational Inference (CAVI) under log-concave conditions.
method Building on previous work, we analyze the random scan version of CAVI using optimal transport geometry.
result We obtain tight linear convergence rates for the random scan version of CAVI.
A new dynamical formulation of log-PCA captures local principal modes of geodesic variations.
problem Learning principal variations of random probability measures under Wasserstein geometry.
method Introducing a new dynamical formulation of log-PCA as a variational approach.
result Deriving a general statistical convergence rate for empirical WT-PCA.
Unified framework for efficient trans-dimensional Bayesian inference using VI and NFs.
problem Efficient trans-dimensional Bayesian inference with reduced computational cost.
method Variational inference with normalizing flows to train transport proposals.
result Our approach minimizes reverse KL divergence and reduces computational cost.
New framework uses PDE for no-regret generative modeling.
problem Developing efficient generative models for complex distributions.
method Iterative refinement of Brenier maps using mirror gradient descent.
result Converges to optimal Brenier map under various step-size schedules.
FEAT estimates free energy using adaptive transports.
problem Estimating free energy across scientific domains.
method Uses learned transports and stochastic interpolants.
result Provides consistent, minimum-variance estimators.
Based on a study of the coupling by reflection of diffusion processes, a new monotonicity in time of a time-dependent transportation cost between heat distribution is shown under Bakry-Emery's curvature-dimension condition on a Riemannian manifold. The cost function comes from the total variation between heat distribut…
We use neural networks as control variates with geometric integration techniques.
problem Analytic integration of neural network approximations for variance reduction.
method Integration domain subdivision using computational geometry for MLPs with continuous piecewise linear activation functions.
result Neural networks can be used as control variates with geometric integration methods.
Paper introduces information-constrained optimal transport, generalizing Talagrand's inequality.
problem Optimal transport problem with information constraints.
method Information constrained variation of optimal transport, using Marton's approach.
result Recovery of concentration of measure results and solution to Cover's open problem.
In this work, we show the intrinsic relations between optimal transportation and convex geometry, especially the variational approach to solve Alexandrov problem: constructing a convex polytope with prescribed face normals and volumes. This leads to a geometric interpretation to generative models, and leads to a novel …
C-VAE improves VAE by resolving prior issues and generating better samples.
problem Low-quality samples from VAE due to prior issues.
method Formulates VAE as OT, allows flexible priors, and uses OT formulations.
result C-VAE generates higher quality samples and latent representations.
Optimal schedules improve transport map approximation and learning.
problem Improving the approximation and learning of transport maps.
method Optimal scheduling of transport maps to minimize spatial Lipschitz constant.
result The optimal schedule can be computed in closed form and results in a significantly smaller Lipschitz constant.
Optimal transport with path constraints for distributions of different masses.
problem Comparing distributions with different total masses under path constraints.
method Introduces a model for unbalanced optimal transport with path constraints, proving existence of solutions.
result Existence of solutions to path constrained unbalanced optimal transport for various constraints.
Study optimal transport for robust optimization, showing how adversary's strategy relates to regularization.
problem Optimizing under uncertain parameters with a fictitious adversary reshaping a reference distribution.
method Introduces optimal transport and regularization to relate robustification to variation and Lipschitz norms.
result Conditions for existence and computability of Nash equilibrium between decision-maker and adversary.
A new method for efficient inference and model selection in SBMs using OT.
problem Efficient inference and model selection in stochastic block models.
method Interpreting MLVI as srGW with entropic regularization, then unregularizing for sparse solutions, and adding a sparsity-promoting regularizer.
result The method consistently recovers SBM parameters and selects the number of clusters in finite samples.
We align distributional data using regularized Wasserstein means.
problem Aligning distributional data from different domains.
method Regularized Wasserstein means with variational transportation.
result Sparse representation captures desired properties and reduces mapping cost.
We exploit the link between the transport equation and derivatives of expectations to construct efficient pathwise gradient estimators for multivariate distributions. We focus on two main threads. First, we use null solutions of the transport equation to construct adaptive control variates that can be used to construct…
Stein transport improves Bayesian inference with faster convergence and reduced variance.
problem Efficiently approximating posterior distributions in Bayesian inference.
method A novel Bayesian inference method using Stein transport, which pushes particles along a curve of tempered distributions.
result Stein transport reaches posterior approximations faster and more accurately than Stein variational gradient descent (SVGD).
Develops a method to efficiently compute Wasserstein barycenters with variational distributions.
problem High computational burden in computing Wasserstein barycenters for high-dimensional and continuous settings.
method Introduces a variational distribution to approximate the continuous Wasserstein barycenter, reformulating the problem as an optimization with c-cyclical monotonicity.
result The method provides a tractable dual formulation for efficient computation of Wasserstein barycenters, demonstrated on real applications.
These notes briefly summarize the lectures for the Summer School "Optimal transportation: Theory and applications" held by the second author in Grenoble during the week of June 22-26, 2009. Their goal is to describe some recent results on Brenier's variational models for incompressible Euler equation.
We present a short overview on the strongest variational formulation for gradient flows of geodesically λ-convex functionals in metric spaces, with applications to diffusion equations in Wasserstein spaces of probability measures. These notes are based on a series of lectures given by the second author for the Summer…
In his book on Convex Polyhedra (section 7.2), A.D. Aleksandrov raised a general question of finding variational statements and proofs of existence of polytopes with given geometric data. The first goal of this paper is to give a variational solution to the problem of existence and uniqueness of a closed convex hypersu…
This paper introduces Wasserstein variational inference, a new form of approximate Bayesian inference based on optimal transport theory. Wasserstein variational inference uses a new family of divergences that includes both f-divergences and the Wasserstein distance as special cases. The gradients of the Wasserstein var…