A complex neural network model by Hilbert Transform

Abstract

The phase information of the optical wave plays a vital role in processing wave-related signals. In deep learning fields, complex-valued neural networks are put forward on the concept of complex amplitudes for full utilization of phase information. To build a complex-valued neural network, the common way is to exploit Fourier Transform of the observed signal to extract amplitude and phase information. However, this will lead to spectrum waste for a real-valued signal by introducing negative frequencies that have no physical meaning. To this end, we attempt to use Hilbert Transform as an alternative to yield a single sideband spectrum and avoid negative frequencies from interacting with positive ones. On the other hand, Fourier transform is a global analysis thus it tells nothing about the time domain. As our key insight, we further explore the usage of instantaneous frequency calculated by Hilbert Transform and propose a new method of constructing complex input from a time–frequency angle. Simple pixel-wise classification experiments are carried out on two hyperspectral datasets and MNIST dataset. Experimental results have demonstrated that Hilbert Transform with instantaneous frequency performs better by a large margin than Fourier Transform owing to the additional time information.