WIAS Preprint No. 3052, (2023)

A hybrid physics-informed neural network based multiscale solver as a partial differential equation constrained optimization problem



Authors

  • Hintermüller, Michael
    ORCID: 0000-0001-9471-2479
  • Korolev, Denis
    ORCID: 0000-0001-5686-7699

2020 Mathematics Subject Classification

  • 35B27 65K10 65J15 65N99 68T20 80M40

Keywords

  • Partial differential equations, learning-informed optimal control, PDE constrained optimization, physics-informed neural networks, quasi-minimization, homogenization, multiscale modelling

DOI

10.20347/WIAS.PREPRINT.3052

Abstract

In this work, we study physics-informed neural networks (PINNs) constrained by partial differential equations (PDEs) and their application in approximating multiscale PDEs. From a continuous perspective, our formulation corresponds to a non-standard PDE-constrained optimization problem with a PINN-type objective. From a discrete standpoint, the formulation represents a hybrid numerical solver that utilizes both neural networks and finite elements. We propose a function space framework for the problem and develop an algorithm for its numerical solution, combining an adjoint-based technique from optimal control with automatic differentiation. The multiscale solver is applied to a heat transfer problem with oscillating coefficients, where the neural network approximates a fine-scale problem, and a coarse-scale problem constrains the learning process. We show that incorporating coarse-scale information into the neural network training process through our modelling framework acts as a preconditioner for the low-frequency component of the fine-scale PDE, resulting in improved convergence properties and accuracy of the PINN method. The relevance of the hybrid solver to numerical homogenization is discussed.

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