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Main Authors: Choi, Juhyeok, Fan, Chenglin
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
Subjects:
Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2506.08337
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author Choi, Juhyeok
Fan, Chenglin
author_facet Choi, Juhyeok
Fan, Chenglin
contents Diffusion models, typically formulated as discretizations of stochastic differential equations (SDEs), have achieved state-of-the-art performance in generative tasks. However, their theoretical analysis often involves complex proofs. In this work, we present a simplified framework for analyzing the Euler--Maruyama discretization of variance-preserving SDEs (VP-SDEs). Using Grönwall's inequality, we derive a convergence rate of $O(T^{-1/2})$ under standard Lipschitz assumptions, streamlining prior analyses. We then demonstrate that the standard Gaussian noise can be replaced by computationally cheaper discrete random variables (e.g., Rademacher) without sacrificing this convergence guarantee, provided the mean and variance are matched. Our experiments validate this theory, showing that (i) discrete noise achieves sample quality comparable to Gaussian noise provided the variance is matched correctly, and (ii) performance degrades if the noise variance is scaled incorrectly.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2506_08337
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Diffusion Models under Alternative Noise: Simplified Analysis and Sensitivity
Choi, Juhyeok
Fan, Chenglin
Machine Learning
Diffusion models, typically formulated as discretizations of stochastic differential equations (SDEs), have achieved state-of-the-art performance in generative tasks. However, their theoretical analysis often involves complex proofs. In this work, we present a simplified framework for analyzing the Euler--Maruyama discretization of variance-preserving SDEs (VP-SDEs). Using Grönwall's inequality, we derive a convergence rate of $O(T^{-1/2})$ under standard Lipschitz assumptions, streamlining prior analyses. We then demonstrate that the standard Gaussian noise can be replaced by computationally cheaper discrete random variables (e.g., Rademacher) without sacrificing this convergence guarantee, provided the mean and variance are matched. Our experiments validate this theory, showing that (i) discrete noise achieves sample quality comparable to Gaussian noise provided the variance is matched correctly, and (ii) performance degrades if the noise variance is scaled incorrectly.
title Diffusion Models under Alternative Noise: Simplified Analysis and Sensitivity
topic Machine Learning
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2506.08337