Variational Structure at the Edge of Stability

📅 2026-08-21
📈 Citations: 0
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🤖 AI Summary
研究探讨了优化器在稳定性边缘时的行为,通过扩展'边缘耦合'到重球和Nesterov动量法来分析其固定点及两点轨道的稳定性。
📝 Abstract
When discrete-time optimizers operate at the edge of stability, they exhibit near-two-periodic behavior. These oscillatory dynamics are reminiscent of conservative systems, such as the dynamics generated by symplectic integrators. However, a precise formulation of the connection between discrete-time optimizers at the edge of stability and discrete mechanics remains underexplored. Recently, Litman introduced the "edge coupling": a functional on consecutive gradient descent iterates whose critical points encode the fixed points and two-point orbits of the gradient descent dynamics. Here we extend the edge coupling to heavy-ball and Nesterov momentum. We show that its critical points characterize the fixed points and two-point orbits, with its Hessian characterizing their stability. We also show that the edge coupling can be identified with the symmetric Verlet action, formalizing the connection between the edge of stability and discrete mechanics.
Problem

Research questions and friction points this paper is trying to address.

discrete-time optimizers
edge of stability
discrete mechanics
two-periodic behavior
conservative systems
Innovation

Methods, ideas, or system contributions that make the work stand out.

edge coupling
heavy-ball and Nesterov momentum
symmetric Verlet action
discrete mechanics
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Eric Regis
Yale University