# Hierarchical-embedding autoencoder with a predictor (HEAP) as efficient architecture for learning long-term evolution of complex multi-scale physical systems

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2505.18857 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2505.18857/

## Key facts

- Cited by 2 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 56 of its 85 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 24 May 2025.

## Builds on (most cited first, 30 of 56)

- [Attention Is All You Need](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1706.03762/) (2017)
- [Deep Residual Learning for Image Recognition](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1512.03385/) (2015)
- [An Image is Worth 16x16 Words: Transformers for Image Recognition at Scale](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2010.11929/) (2020)
- [U-Net: Convolutional Networks for Biomedical Image Segmentation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1505.04597/) (2015)
- [Densely Connected Convolutional Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1608.06993/) (2016)
- [Fourier Neural Operator for Parametric Partial Differential Equations](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2010.08895/) (2020)
- [DeepONet: Learning nonlinear operators for identifying differential equations based on the universal approximation theorem of operators](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1910.03193/) (2019)
- [Relational inductive biases, deep learning, and graph networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1806.01261/) (2018)
- [Self-Attention with Relative Position Representations](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1803.02155/) (2018)
- [Learning to Simulate Complex Physics with Graph Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2002.09405/) (2020)
- [Learning Mesh-Based Simulation with Graph Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2010.03409/) (2020)
- [Learning the solution operator of parametric partial differential equations with physics-informed DeepOnets](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2103.10974/) (2021)
- [Machine learning accelerated computational fluid dynamics](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2102.01010/) (2021)
- [PDEBENCH: An Extensive Benchmark for Scientific Machine Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2210.07182/) (2022)
- [Message Passing Neural PDE Solvers](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2202.03376/) (2022)
- [Choose a Transformer: Fourier or Galerkin](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2105.14995/) (2021)
- [ClimaX: A foundation model for weather and climate](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2301.10343/) (2023)
- [GNOT: A General Neural Operator Transformer for Operator Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2302.14376/) (2023)
- [Transformer for Partial Differential Equations' Operator Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2205.13671/) (2022)
- [Factorized Fourier Neural Operators](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2111.13802/) (2021)
- [Graph networks as learnable physics engines for inference and control](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1806.01242/) (2018)
- [U-NO: U-shaped Neural Operators](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2204.11127/) (2022)
- [PDE-Refiner: Achieving Accurate Long Rollouts with Neural PDE Solvers](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2308.05732/) (2023)
- [Rethinking and Improving Relative Position Encoding for Vision Transformer](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2107.14222/) (2021)
- [Solver-in-the-Loop: Learning from Differentiable Physics to Interact with Iterative PDE-Solvers](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2007.00016/) (2020)
- [Towards Physics-informed Deep Learning for Turbulent Flow Prediction](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1911.08655/) (2019)
- [Towards Multi-spatiotemporal-scale Generalized PDE Modeling](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2209.15616/) (2022)
- [Earthformer: Exploring Space-Time Transformers for Earth System Forecasting](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2207.05833/) (2022)
- [Prediction of Aerodynamic Flow Fields Using Convolutional Neural Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1905.13166/) (2019)
- [Combining Differentiable PDE Solvers and Graph Neural Networks for Fluid Flow Prediction](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2007.04439/) (2020)

## Built on by (most cited first, 2 of 2)

- [Recovering Physical Dynamics from Discrete Observations via Intrinsic Differential Consistency](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2605.08454/) (2026)
- [Convolution Operator Network for Forward and Inverse Problems (FI-Conv): Application to Plasma Turbulence Simulations](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2602.04287/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

We propose a novel efficient architecture for learning long-term evolution in complex multi-scale physical systems which is based on the idea of separation of scales. Structures of various scales that dynamically emerge in the system interact with each other only locally. Structures of similar scale can interact directly when they are in contact and indirectly when they are parts of larger structures that interact directly. This enables modeling a multi-scale system in an efficient way, where interactions between small-scale features that are apart from each other do not need to be modeled. The hierarchical fully-convolutional autoencoder transforms the state of a physical system not just into a single embedding layer, as it is done conventionally, but into a series of embedding layers which encode structures of various scales preserving spatial information at a corresponding resolution level. Shallower layers embed smaller structures on a finer grid, while deeper layers embed larger structures on a coarser grid. The predictor advances all embedding layers in sync. Interactions between features of various scales are modeled using a combination of convolutional operators. We compare the performance of our model to variations of a conventional ResNet architecture in application to the Hasegawa-Wakatani turbulence. A multifold improvement in long-term prediction accuracy was observed for crucial statistical characteristics of this system.