SGD Optimization Dynamics Modeled as a Percolation Process
September 1, 2026
Stochastic Gradient Descent (SGD) and Adam/AdamW exhibit variance spikes during training that correspond to architectural symmetries forcing subnetworks to merge in discrete blocks. This phenomenon is modeled as a percolation process where structural transitions create discrete scale invariance.
HOW THIS AFFECTS YOU
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researcherYou can better understand training stability by monitoring macroscopic order parameters and variance spikes.