Do Better Scores Mean Better Physics? Physics-Grounded Explanations for Sim2Real Neural Operators
Machine-learning surrogates accelerate physical simulation, but lower prediction error need not coincide with lower error in physically relevant flow statistics. We examine this question for flow around a NACA4418 airfoil using paired computational-fluid-dynamics simulations and experimental particle-image-velocimetry measurements. A mean-preserving input intervention removes velocity fluctuations from selected regions of observed flow histories. Across four neural operators, removing fluctuations from the most energetic 10% of valid observed cells changes forecasts more than equal-area random removal. Because the masks are not matched for removed fluctuation energy, this contrast measure...
| Authors | Somyajit Chakraborty, Xizhong Chen |
|---|---|
| Primary category | cs.LG |
| Published | 30 September 2026 |
| Last updated at source | 30 September 2026 |
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