Diffusion Model for Graph Inverse Problems: Towards Effective Source Localization on Complex Networks

Information diffusion problems, such as the spread of epidemics or rumors, are widespread in society. The inverse problems of graph diffusion, which involve locating the sources and identifying the paths of diffusion based on currently observed diffusion graphs, are crucial to controlling the spread of information. The problem of localizing the source of diffusion is highly ill-posed, presenting a major obstacle in accurately assessing the uncertainty involved. Besides, while comprehending how information diffuses through a graph is crucial, there is a scarcity of research on reconstructing the paths of information propagation. To tackle these challenges, we propose a probabilistic model called DDMSL (Discrete Diffusion Model for Source Localization).