Sparse RBF Networks for PDEs and nonlocal equations: function space theory, operator calculus, and training algorithms

Fuente: arXiv
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Autori principali: Shao, Zihan, Pieper, Konstantin, Tian, Xiaochuan
Natura: Preprint
Pubblicazione: 2026
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author Shao, Zihan
Pieper, Konstantin
Tian, Xiaochuan
author_facet Shao, Zihan
Pieper, Konstantin
Tian, Xiaochuan
contents This work presents a systematic analysis and extension of the sparse radial basis function network (SparseRBFnet) previously introduced for solving nonlinear partial differential equations (PDEs). Based on its adaptive-width shallow kernel network formulation, we further investigate its function-space characterization, operator evaluation, and computational algorithm. We provide a unified description of the solution space for a broad class of radial basis functions (RBFs). Under mild assumptions, this space admits a characterization as a Besov space, independent of the specific kernel choice. We further demonstrate how the explicit kernel-based structure enables quasi-analytical evaluation of both differential and nonlocal operators, including fractional Laplacians. On the computational end, we study the adaptive-width network and related three-phase training strategy through a comparison with variants concerning the modeling and algorithmic details. In particular, we assess the roles of second-order optimization, inner-weight training, network adaptivity, and anisotropic kernel parameterizations. Numerical experiments on high-order, fractional, and anisotropic PDE benchmarks illustrate the empirical insensitivity to kernel choice, as well as the resulting trade-offs between accuracy, sparsity, and computational cost. Collectively, these results consolidate and generalize the theoretical and computational framework of SparseRBFnet, supporting accurate sparse representations with efficient operator evaluation and offering theory-grounded guidance for algorithmic and modeling choices.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2601_17562
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Sparse RBF Networks for PDEs and nonlocal equations: function space theory, operator calculus, and training algorithms
Shao, Zihan
Pieper, Konstantin
Tian, Xiaochuan
Numerical Analysis
Machine Learning
This work presents a systematic analysis and extension of the sparse radial basis function network (SparseRBFnet) previously introduced for solving nonlinear partial differential equations (PDEs). Based on its adaptive-width shallow kernel network formulation, we further investigate its function-space characterization, operator evaluation, and computational algorithm. We provide a unified description of the solution space for a broad class of radial basis functions (RBFs). Under mild assumptions, this space admits a characterization as a Besov space, independent of the specific kernel choice. We further demonstrate how the explicit kernel-based structure enables quasi-analytical evaluation of both differential and nonlocal operators, including fractional Laplacians. On the computational end, we study the adaptive-width network and related three-phase training strategy through a comparison with variants concerning the modeling and algorithmic details. In particular, we assess the roles of second-order optimization, inner-weight training, network adaptivity, and anisotropic kernel parameterizations. Numerical experiments on high-order, fractional, and anisotropic PDE benchmarks illustrate the empirical insensitivity to kernel choice, as well as the resulting trade-offs between accuracy, sparsity, and computational cost. Collectively, these results consolidate and generalize the theoretical and computational framework of SparseRBFnet, supporting accurate sparse representations with efficient operator evaluation and offering theory-grounded guidance for algorithmic and modeling choices.
title Sparse RBF Networks for PDEs and nonlocal equations: function space theory, operator calculus, and training algorithms
topic Numerical Analysis
Machine Learning
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.17562