# Physics-Modeled Neural Networks

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.08176 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2605.08176/

## Key facts

- No citing papers in the map yet (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 6 of its 16 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 5 May 2026.

## Builds on (most cited first, 6 of 6)

- [PyTorch: An Imperative Style, High-Performance Deep Learning Library](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1912.01703/) (2019)
- [Neural Ordinary Differential Equations](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1806.07366/) (2018)
- [Liquid Time-constant Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2006.04439/) (2020)
- [Closed-form Continuous-time Neural Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2106.13898/) (2021)
- [Understanding neural networks with reproducing kernel Banach spaces](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2109.09710/) (2021)
- [Sparsity of solutions for variational inverse problems with finite-dimensional data](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1809.05045/) (2018)

## Abstract (arXiv)

We introduce Dynamical Physics-Modeled Neural Networks (DynPMNNs), a continuous-time deep learning architecture in which each hidden layer is defined as the solution of an ordinary differential equation. Unlike classical feed-forward networks, this approach replaces static activation functions with time-evolving dynamical systems, providing a biologically inspired interpretation of hidden-layer behavior and enabling the integration of physically meaningful models. The framework is rigorously grounded in Reproducing Kernel Banach Spaces (RKBSs), allowing DynPMNNs to be characterized as finite-dimensional solutions of an abstract training problem and revealing structural connections with standard neural networks. We present a concrete implementation based on the FitzHugh--Nagumo model for neuronal activation, where numerical ODE solvers are embedded into the computational graph via Euler-type schemes. Both network weights and dynamical parameters are trained jointly. Through experiments on the California Housing dataset, we compare DynPMNNs with Neural ODEs (NODEs) and Closed-form Continuous-Time Networks (CfCs). Despite using fewer trainable parameters, DynPMNNs achieve competitive performance. These results position DynPMNNs as a principled bridge between dynamical systems and deep learning, with promising directions for further research in expressivity, stability, and physics-based modeling.