Simplex-to-Euclidean Bijections for Categorical Flow Matching
On the map: Diffusion models → Flow matching, time series and science
Abstract (arXiv)
We propose a method for learning and sampling from probability distributions supported on the simplex. Our approach maps the open simplex to Euclidean space via smooth bijections, leveraging the Aitchison geometry to define the mappings, and supports modeling categorical data by a Dirichlet interpolation that dequantizes discrete observations into continuous ones. This enables density modeling in Euclidean space through the bijection while still allowing exact recovery of the original discrete distribution. Compared to previous methods that operate on the simplex using Riemannian geometry or custom noise processes, our approach works in Euclidean space while respecting the Aitchison geometry, and achieves competitive performance on both synthetic and real-world data sets.
Key facts. Cited by 3 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026). Placed in Flow matching, time series and science, one of 14 directions in Diffusion models. Builds on 35 of its 56 references that are in the map. First posted on arXiv 31 Oct 2025.
Builds on
35 of 56 references.
Closest ancestors · 14
Same direction, newest first
- 2025α-Flow: A Unified Framework for Continuous-State Discrete Flow Matching Models14 Apr
- 2025Gumbel-Softmax Flow Matching with Straight-Through Guidance for Controllable Biological Sequence Generation21 Mar
- 2024Flow Matching Guide and Code9 Dec
- 2024Discrete Flow Matching22 Jul
- 2024Variational Flow Matching for Graph Generation7 Jun
- 2024Categorical Flow Matching on Statistical Manifolds26 May
- 2024Fisher Flow Matching for Generative Modeling over Discrete Data23 May
- 2024Mixed Continuous and Categorical Flow Matching for 3D De Novo Molecule Generation30 Apr
- 2024Dirichlet Flow Matching with Applications to DNA Sequence Design8 Feb
- 2024Generative Flows on Discrete State-Spaces: Enabling Multimodal Flows with Applications to Protein Co-Design7 Feb
- 2023Dirichlet Diffusion Score Model for Biological Sequence Generation18 May
- 2023Flow Matching on General Geometries7 Feb
2 more
Other references · 21
- 2015Rethinking the Inception Architecture for Computer Visioncited by 5,475
- 2022Elucidating the Design Space of Diffusion-Based Generative Modelscited by 3,045
- 2023Consistency Modelscited by 1,822
- 2021Structured Denoising Diffusion Models in Discrete State-Spacescited by 1,719
- 2020Improved Techniques for Training Score-Based Generative Modelscited by 1,043
- 2022Building Normalizing Flows with Stochastic Interpolantscited by 995
- 2024Simple and Effective Masked Diffusion Language Modelscited by 848
- 2023Discrete Diffusion Modeling by Estimating the Ratios of the Data Distributioncited by 745
- 2021Argmax Flows and Multinomial Diffusion: Learning Categorical Distributionscited by 574
- 2025Mean Flows for One-step Generative Modelingcited by 561
- 2022Analog Bits: Generating Discrete Data using Diffusion Models with Self-Conditioningcited by 373
- 2025The Diffusion Dualitycited by 135
9 more
- 2023TESS: Text-to-Text Self-Conditioned Simplex Diffusioncited by 65
- 2020Categorical Normalizing Flows via Continuous Transformationscited by 37
- 2025TESS 2: A Large-Scale Generalist Diffusion Language Modelcited by 30
- 2015Dependent Multinomial Models Made Easy: Stick Breaking with the P'olya-Gamma Augmentationcited by 26
- 2019Invertible Gaussian Reparameterization: Revisiting the Gumbel-Softmaxcited by 18
- 2020Learning Discrete Distributions by Dequantizationcited by 18
- 2023Diffusion on the Probability Simplexcited by 14
- 2025SketchDNN: Joint Continuous-Discrete Diffusion for CAD Sketch Generationcited by 5
- 2025Flows on convex polytopescited by 3
Built on by
Citing papers per year: 2026: 3.
3 papers.
Similar, not cited
Close in wording, no citation either way
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- 2024Minibatch Optimal Transport and Perplexity Bound Estimation in Discrete Flow Matching
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