aiqbench analysis
This study demonstrates how domain-specific Convolutional Variational Autoencoders can efficiently organize and interpret massive X-ray scattering datasets that overwhelm traditional processing workflows. By outperforming general-purpose foundation models like DINOv3 in latent space organization, the approach enables real-time analysis of structural variations at synchrotron facilities without requiring retraining for new experiments. The integration into MLExchange provides researchers with interactive tools to explore archived data and generate synthetic images across diverse experimental conditions.
Unlocking Latent Dimensions: Exploring Representations of Large-Scale X-ray Scattering Data using Variational Autoencoders
arXiv:2606.14999v1 Announce Type: new Abstract: Scientific user facilities generate X-ray scattering data faster than traditional workflows can process them. We address this challenge across two settings, offline dataset exploration and live on-the-fly analysis. We train a domain-specific attention-based Convolutional Variational Autoencoder (C-VAE) on 1.5 million X-ray scattering images to learn low-dimensional representations capturing structural variation across diverse experimental conditions. The learned latent space reveals well-organized clusters and smooth trajectories reflecting experimental progression. It further supports controlled synthetic scattering image generation across diverse structural states. When deployed without retraining, the model organizes time-resolved film formation experiments at two synchrotron facilities into interpretable latent structures. Benchmarking against DINOv3 (ViT-7B), a general-purpose vision foundation model, demonstrates that domain-specific training yields more interpretable latent organization for scattering data. Both workflows are integrated within Latent Space Explorer, a component of the MLExchange platform, supporting interactive structural exploration across archived datasets and live experiments.
Authors:Monika Choudhary, Xiaoya Chong, Runbo Jiang, Wiebke Koepp, Petrus H. Zwart, Damon English, Gregory M. Su, Eric Schaible, Chenhui Zhu, Mostafa Nassr, Noah P. Wamble, Kelvin Kam-Yun Li, Jonathan M. Chan, Jose Carlos Diaz, Cameron McKay, Lynn Katz, Benny Freeman, Guillaume Freychet, Yevgen Matviychuk, Eliot Gann, Daniel B. Allan, Benedikt Sochor, Frank Schluenzen, Stephan V. Roth, Ethan Crumlin, Dylan McReynolds, Tanny Chavez, Alexander Hexemer
Abstract:Scientific user facilities generate X-ray scattering data faster than traditional workflows can process them. We address this challenge across two settings, offline dataset exploration and live on-the-fly analysis. We train a domain-specific attention-based Convolutional Variational Autoencoder (C-VAE) on 1.5 million X-ray scattering images to learn low-dimensional representations capturing structural variation across diverse experimental conditions. The learned latent space reveals well-organized clusters and smooth trajectories reflecting experimental progression. It further supports controlled synthetic scattering image generation across diverse structural states. When deployed without retraining, the model organizes time-resolved film formation experiments at two synchrotron facilities into interpretable latent structures. Benchmarking against DINOv3 (ViT-7B), a general-purpose vision foundation model, demonstrates that domain-specific training yields more interpretable latent organization for scattering data. Both workflows are integrated within Latent Space Explorer, a component of the MLExchange platform, supporting interactive structural exploration across archived datasets and live experiments.
Machine Learning (cs.LG)
arXiv:2606.14999 [cs.LG]
(or arXiv:2606.14999v1 [cs.LG] for this version)
https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2606.14999 arXiv-issued DOI via DataCite (pending registration)
Full text under the publisher's open licence · 225 words
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