A high-bias, low-variance introduction to Machine Learning for physicists

TL;DR

This paper provides physicists with an accessible, comprehensive introduction to core machine learning concepts, tools, and their connections to statistical physics, using Python notebooks and physics-inspired datasets.

Contribution

It offers an intuitive, physics-oriented overview of ML fundamentals and advanced topics, integrating practical examples and open problems for physicists.

Findings

Introduces ML concepts using physics datasets like the Ising Model

Connects ML techniques to statistical physics principles

Provides practical Python notebooks for learning ML in physics context

Abstract

Machine Learning (ML) is one of the most exciting and dynamic areas of modern research and application. The purpose of this review is to provide an introduction to the core concepts and tools of machine learning in a manner easily understood and intuitive to physicists. The review begins by covering fundamental concepts in ML and modern statistics such as the bias-variance tradeoff, overfitting, regularization, generalization, and gradient descent before moving on to more advanced topics in both supervised and unsupervised learning. Topics covered in the review include ensemble models, deep learning and neural networks, clustering and data visualization, energy-based models (including MaxEnt models and Restricted Boltzmann Machines), and variational methods. Throughout, we emphasize the many natural connections between ML and statistical physics. A notable aspect of the review is the use of Python Jupyter notebooks to introduce modern ML/statistical packages to readers using physics-inspired datasets (the Ising Model and Monte-Carlo simulations of supersymmetric decays of proton-proton collisions). We conclude with an extended outlook discussing possible uses of machine learning for furthering our understanding of the physical world as well as open problems in ML where physicists may be able to contribute. (Notebooks are available at https://physics.bu.edu/~pankajm/MLnotebooks.html )