Mathematics of Computing
Error estimates for tamed Euler and Randomized Euler schemes for SDEs with locally Lipschitz drift with applications to non-logconcave sampling and optimization
Lytras, Iosif, Ntousis, Angelos
In this paper, we study the numerical discretization of stochastic differential equations with locally Lipschitz, super-linearly growing drift, and the resulting implications for sampling from non-log-concave distributions satisfying a logarithmic Sobolev inequality. In this regime, the classical Euler--Maruyama scheme underlying the unadjusted Langevin algorithm (ULA) is known to be unstable. We analyze the KL-accelerated tamed unadjusted Langevin algorithm (kTULA) and introduce a new tamed randomized midpoint scheme, termed tRLMC. Building on the shifted-composition approach of \cite{chewi2024local}, we develop two new local-error frameworks that yield finite-time, non-asymptotic error estimates against the underlying SDE -- in KL divergence for kTULA, and in total variation for tRLMC -- valid for general locally Lipschitz drift. Specializing these frameworks to the sampling problem under a logarithmic Sobolev inequality, we obtain a near-optimal $\widetilde{O}(\varepsilon^{-1/2})$ iteration complexity for kTULA in KL divergence, with corresponding guarantees in total variation and Wasserstein distance. We further establish, for the first time, a non-asymptotic guarantee in total variation for a tamed randomized Langevin scheme under super-linear drift growth, together with the corresponding Wasserstein-distance bound, both with $\widetilde{O}(\varepsilon^{-1})$ complexity for tRLMC. As a consequence, both schemes yield non-asymptotic bounds for a non-convex excess-risk optimization problem.
Computational aspects of the Volterra Signature
Hager, Paul P., Harang, Fabian N., Pelizzari, Luca, Tindel, Samy
The Volterra signature extends the classical path signature by incorporating general matrix-valued kernel into its iterated integral structure, yielding a flexible notion of memory for time series. Its components can be viewed as successive Picard iterates of linear controlled Volterra equations, making their exact computation of additional mathematical interest. However, the kernel introduces substantial algorithmic challenges. We provide a resolution by first decomposing the Chen-type convolution relation established in [13] into analytic and arithmetic parts, and then introducing several efficient algorithms: a general approximative scheme with quadratic complexity O(J2) in the number of time steps J, an FFT-based acceleration with complexity O(J logJ) for convolution kernels on uniform grids, and an exact recursion with complexity O(JR2) for kernels admitting a state-space representation of dimension R; retaining standard signature complexity in the path dimension and truncation level N. We further show that the number of factors in matrix-valued kernels of the form K(t,s) = P p kp(t s)Ap do not increase the asymptotic complexity in J and N. Finally, we derive a finite-difference predictor-corrector scheme for the associated Volterra signature kernel. All algorithms are implemented in the publicly available JAX-based package tensordev.
Strategic stability under regularized learning in games
In this paper, we examine the long-run behavior of regularized, no-regret learning in1 finite games. A well-known result in the field states that the empirical frequencies2 of no-regret play converge to the game's set of coarse correlated equilibria; however,3 our understanding of how the players' actual strategies evolve over time is much4 more limited - and, in many cases, non-existent. This issue is exacerbated by5 a series of recent results showing that only strict Nash equilibria are stable and6 attracting under regularized learning, thus making the relation between learning7 and pointwise solution concepts particularly elusive. In lieu of this, we take a more8 general approach and instead seek to characterize the setwise rationality properties9 of the players' day-to-day play. To that end, we focus on one of the most stringent10 criteria of setwise strategic stability, namely that any unilateral deviation from the11 set in question incurs a cost to the deviator - a property known as closedness under12 better replies (club).
Neural Ideal Large Eddy Simulation: Modeling Turbulence with Neural Stochastic Differential Equations
We introduce a data-driven learning framework that assimilates two powerful ideas: ideal large eddy simulation (LES) from turbulence closure modeling and neural stochastic differential equations (SDE) for stochastic modeling. The ideal LES models the LES flow by treating each full-order trajectory as a random realization of the underlying dynamics, as such, the effect of small-scales is marginalized to obtain the deterministic evolution of the LES state. However, ideal LES is analytically intractable. In our work, we use a latent neural SDE to model the evolution of the stochastic process and an encoder-decoder pair for transforming between the latent space and the desired ideal flow field. This stands in sharp contrast to other types of neural parameterization of closure models where each trajectory is treated as a deterministic realization of the dynamics. We show the effectiveness of our approach (niLES - neural ideal LES) on two challenging chaotic dynamical systems: Kolmogorov flow at a Reynolds number of 20,000 and flow past a cylinder at Reynolds number 500. Compared to competing methods, our method can handle non-uniform geometries using unstructured meshes seamlessly. In particular, niLES leads to trajectories with more accurate statistics and enhances stability, particularly for long-horizon rollouts.
Sample Complexity Bounds for Active Ranking from Multi-wise Comparisons
We study the sample complexity (i.e., the number of comparisons needed) bounds for actively ranking a set of n items from multi-wise comparisons. Here, a multiwise comparison takes m items as input and returns a (noisy) result about the best item (the winner feedback) or the order of these items (the full-ranking feedback). We consider two basic ranking problems: top-k items selection and full ranking. Unlike previous works that study ranking from multi-wise comparisons, in this paper, we do not require any parametric model or assumption and work on the fundamental setting where each comparison returns the correct result with probability 1or a certain probability larger than 12. This paper helps understand whether and to what degree utilizing multi-wise comparisons can reduce the sample complexity for the ranking problems compared to ranking from pairwise comparisons. Specifically, under the winner feedback setting, one can reduce the sample complexity for top-k selection up to an m factor and that for full ranking up to a logm factor. Under the full-ranking feedback setting, one can reduce the sample complexity for top-k selection up to an m factor and that for full ranking up to an mlogm factor. We also conduct numerical simulations to confirm our theoretical results.
Adaptive Learning via Off-Model Training and Importance Sampling for Fully Non-Markovian Optimal Stochastic Control. Complete version
Leão, Dorival, Ohashi, Alberto, Scotti, Simone, da Silva, Adolfo M. D
This paper studies continuous-time stochastic control problems whose controlled states are fully non-Markovian and depend on unknown model parameters. Such problems arise naturally in path-dependent stochastic differential equations, rough-volatility hedging, and systems driven by fractional Brownian motion. Building on the discrete skeleton approach developed in earlier work, we propose a Monte Carlo learning methodology for the associated embedded backward dynamic programming equation. Our main contribution is twofold. First, we construct explicit dominating training laws and Radon--Nikodym weights for several representative classes of non-Markovian controlled systems. This yields an off-model training architecture in which a fixed synthetic dataset is generated under a reference law, while the dynamic programming operators associated with a target model are recovered by importance sampling. Second, we use this structure to design an adaptive update mechanism under parametric model uncertainty, so that repeated recalibration can be performed by reweighting the same training sample rather than regenerating new trajectories. For fixed parameters, we establish non-asymptotic error bounds for the approximation of the embedded dynamic programming equation via deep neural networks. For adaptive learning, we derive quantitative estimates that separate Monte Carlo approximation error from model-risk error. Numerical experiments illustrate both the off-model training mechanism and the adaptive importance-sampling update in structured linear-quadratic examples.