TopoDiffusionNet: A Topology-aware Diffusion Model

ICLR 2025 Conference Submission3999 Authors

Keywords: Topology, Diffusion Models, Persistent Homology

TL;DR: Diffusion models are great at creating visually appealing images but struggle to maintain specific topologies. This work introduces TopoDiffusionNet, a diffusion model designed to generate images that adhere to given topological constraints.

Abstract: Diffusion models excel at creating visually impressive images but often struggle to generate images with a specified topology. The Betti number, which represents the number of structures in an image, is a fundamental measure in topology. Yet, diffusion models fail to satisfy even this basic constraint. This limitation restricts their utility in applications requiring exact control, like robotics and environmental modeling. To address this, we propose TopoDiffusionNet (TDN), a novel approach that enforces diffusion models to maintain the desired topology. We leverage tools from topological data analysis, particularly persistent homology, to extract the topological structures within an image. We then design a topology-based objective function to guide the denoising process, preserving intended structures while suppressing noisy ones. Our experiments across four datasets demonstrate significant improvements in topological accuracy. TDN is the first to integrate topology with diffusion models, opening new avenues of research in this area.

Primary Area: generative models

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Submission Number: 3999