mlsanityData to 7 Oct 2026

Bridge Matching Sampler: Scalable Sampling via Generalized Fixed-Point Diffusion Matching

arXiv 2603.00530 ↗First posted 28 Feb 2026cs.LGcited by 7

On the map: Diffusion models → Flow matching, time series and science

Abstract (arXiv)

Sampling from unnormalized densities using diffusion models has emerged as a powerful paradigm. However, while recent approaches that use least-squares `matching' objectives have improved scalability, they often necessitate significant trade-offs, such as restricting prior distributions or relying on unstable optimization schemes. By generalizing these methods as special forms of fixed-point iterations rooted in Nelson's relation, we develop a new method that addresses these limitations, called Bridge Matching Sampler (BMS). Our approach enables learning a stochastic transport map between arbitrary prior and target distributions with a single, scalable, and stable objective. Furthermore, we introduce a damped variant of this iteration that incorporates a regularization term to mitigate mode collapse and further stabilize training. Empirically, we demonstrate that our method enables sampling at unprecedented scales while preserving mode diversity, achieving state-of-the-art results on complex synthetic densities and high-dimensional molecular benchmarks.

Key facts. Cited by 7 papers in the map (data through 7 Oct 2026). Placed in Flow matching, time series and science, one of 14 directions in Diffusion models. Builds on 64 of its 87 references that are in the map. First posted on arXiv 28 Feb 2026.

Builds on

64 of 87 references.

Closest ancestors · 1

Same direction, newest first

  1. 2025Adjoint Sampling: Highly Scalable Diffusion Samplers via Adjoint Matching16 Apr

Other references · 63

  1. 2020Score-Based Generative Modeling through Stochastic Differential Equationscited by 8,964
  2. 2018Neural Ordinary Differential Equationscited by 3,733
  3. 2022Elucidating the Design Space of Diffusion-Based Generative Modelscited by 2,994
  4. 2015Trust Region Policy Optimizationcited by 2,503
  5. 2023Stochastic Interpolants: A Unifying Framework for Flows and Diffusionscited by 897
  6. 2021Equivariant message passing for the prediction of tensorial properties and molecular spectracited by 438
  7. 2013A survey of the Schr"odinger problem and some of its connections with optimal transportcited by 286
  8. 2020Equivariant Flows: Exact Likelihood Generative Learning for Symmetric Densitiescited by 248
  9. 2024Adjoint Matching: Fine-tuning Flow and Diffusion Generative Models with Memoryless Stochastic Optimal Controlcited by 222
  10. 2021Likelihood Training of Schr"odinger Bridge using Forward-Backward SDEs Theorycited by 216
  11. 2023EquiformerV2: Improved Equivariant Transformer for Scaling to Higher-Degree Representationscited by 201
  12. 2021Path Integral Sampler: a stochastic control approach for samplingcited by 175
38 more
  1. 2022An optimal control perspective on diffusion-based generative modelingcited by 145
  2. 2023Denoising Diffusion Samplerscited by 144
  3. 2022Flow Annealed Importance Sampling Bootstrapcited by 124
  4. 2024Iterated Denoising Energy Matching for Sampling from Boltzmann Densitiescited by 113
  5. 2023Improved sampling via learned diffusionscited by 103
  6. 2022Let us Build Bridges: Understanding and Extending Diffusion Generative Modelscited by 102
  7. 2014On the relation between optimal transport and Schr"odinger bridges: A stochastic control viewpointcited by 99
  8. 2020Interacting particle solutions of Fokker-Planck equations through gradient-log-density estimationcited by 87
  9. 2020Solving high-dimensional Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman PDEs using neural networks: perspectives from the theory of controlled diffusions and measures on path spacecited by 80
  10. 2023Non-Denoising Forward-Time Diffusionscited by 75
  11. 2023Diffusion Generative Flow Samplers: Improving learning signals through partial trajectory optimizationcited by 57
  12. 2021Bayesian Learning via Neural Schr"odinger-F"ollmer Flowscited by 56
  13. 2024Beyond ELBOs: A Large-Scale Evaluation of Variational Methods for Samplingcited by 55
  14. 2022Score-Based Diffusion meets Annealed Importance Samplingcited by 51
  15. 2024Improved off-policy training of diffusion samplerscited by 47
  16. 2024Sequential Controlled Langevin Diffusionscited by 47
  17. 2024Target Score Matchingcited by 46
  18. 2023OpenMM 8: Molecular Dynamics Simulation with Machine Learning Potentialscited by 44
  19. 2023Stochastic Optimal Control Matchingcited by 39
  20. 2025LEAPS: A discrete neural sampler via locally equivariant networkscited by 30
  21. 2025Scalable Discrete Diffusion Samplers: Combinatorial Optimization and Statistical Physicscited by 28
  22. 2025Underdamped Diffusion Bridges with Applications to Samplingcited by 28
  23. 2025Progressive Inference-Time Annealing of Diffusion Models for Sampling from Boltzmann Densitiescited by 26
  24. 2024Adaptive teachers for amortized samplerscited by 23
  25. 2025Trust Region Constrained Measure Transport in Path Space for Stochastic Optimal Control and Inferencecited by 22
  26. 2023Transport meets Variational Inference: Controlled Monte Carlo Diffusionscited by 21
  27. 2024Training Neural Samplers with Reverse Diffusive KL Divergencecited by 21
  28. 2025MDNS: Masked Diffusion Neural Sampler via Stochastic Optimal Controlcited by 20
  29. 2025From discrete-time policies to continuous-time diffusion samplers: Asymptotic equivalences and faster trainingcited by 17
  30. 2025Proximal Diffusion Neural Samplercited by 16
  31. 2025FEAT: Free energy Estimators with Adaptive Transportcited by 15
  32. 2024BNEM: A Boltzmann Sampler Based on Bootstrapped Noised Energy Matchingcited by 14
  33. 2025Temperature-Annealed Boltzmann Generatorscited by 14
  34. 2025Accelerated Parallel Tempering via Neural Transportscited by 13
  35. 2025Complexity Analysis of Normalizing Constant Estimation: from Jarzynski Equality to Annealed Importance Sampling and beyondcited by 11
  36. 2025Amortized Sampling with Transferable Normalizing Flowscited by 11
  37. 2025On scalable and efficient training of diffusion samplerscited by 10
  38. 2026Discrete Adjoint Matchingcited by 10

50 most cited of 63 All 63 (JSON)

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Cited by year (2026 to 7 Oct)

Citing papers per year: 2026: 7.

7 papers.

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Close in wording, no citation either way

  1. 2026Flow Sampling: Learning to Sample from Unnormalized Densities via Denoising Conditional Processes
  2. 2025Tilt Matching for Scalable Sampling and Fine-Tuning
  3. 2024Diffusion Bridge Implicit Models
  4. 2025Test-time scaling of diffusions with flow maps
  5. 2024A Practical Diffusion Path for Sampling
  6. 2025Single-Step Consistent Diffusion Samplers
  7. 2026Discrete diffusion samplers and bridges: Off-policy algorithms and applications in latent spaces
  8. 2025Consistent Sampling and Simulation: Molecular Dynamics with Energy-Based Diffusion Models