arXiv · 2512.00168
Tuning Universality in Deep Neural Networks
Abstract
Deep neural networks (DNNs) exhibit crackling-like avalanches whose origin lacks a mechanistic explanation. Here, I derive a stochastic theory of deep information propagation (DIP) by incorporating Central Limit Theorem (CLT)-level fluctuations. Four effective couplings $(r, h, D_1, D_2)$ characterize the dynamics, yielding a Landau description of the static exponents and a Directed Percolation (DP) structure of activity cascades. Tuning the couplings selects between avalanche dynamics generated by a Brownian Motion (BM) in a logarithmic trap and an absorbed free BM, each corresponding to a distinct universality classes. Numerical simulations confirm the theory and demonstrate that activation function design controls the collective dynamics in random DNNs.
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Arsham Ghavasieh. 2025-11-28. Tuning Universality in Deep Neural Networks. https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.00168
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