Efficient Bayesian inference using physics-informed invertible neural networks for inverse problems

Abstract

This paper presents an innovative approach to tackle Bayesian inverse problems using physics-informed invertible neural networks (PI-INN). Serving as a neural operator model, PI-INN employs an invertible neural network (INN) to elucidate the relationship between the parameter field and the solution function in latent variable spaces. Specifically, the INN decomposes the latent variable of the parameter field into two distinct components: the expansion coefficients that represent the solution to the forward problem, and the noise that captures the inherent uncertainty associated with the inverse problem. Through precise estimation of the forward mapping and preservation of statistical independence between expansion coefficients and latent noise, PI-INN offers an accurate and efficient generative model for resolving Bayesian inverse problems, even in the absence of labeled data. For a given solution function, PI-INN can provide tractable and accurate estimates of the posterior distribution of the underlying parameter field. Moreover, capitalizing on the INN’s characteristics, we propose a novel independent loss function to effectively ensure the independence of the INN’s decomposition results. The efficacy and precision of the proposed PI-INN are demonstrated through a series of numerical experiments.