{"id":"https://openalex.org/W7134833416","doi":"https://doi.org/10.48550/arxiv.2603.07415","title":"Context Channel Capacity: An Information-Theoretic Framework for Understanding Catastrophic Forgetting","display_name":"Context Channel Capacity: An Information-Theoretic Framework for Understanding Catastrophic Forgetting","publication_year":2026,"publication_date":"2026-03-08","ids":{"openalex":"https://openalex.org/W7134833416","doi":"https://doi.org/10.48550/arxiv.2603.07415"},"language":null,"primary_location":{"id":"pmh:doi:10.48550/arxiv.2603.07415","is_oa":true,"landing_page_url":null,"pdf_url":null,"source":{"id":"https://openalex.org/S4406922384","display_name":"Open MIND","issn_l":null,"issn":null,"is_oa":false,"is_in_doaj":false,"is_core":false,"host_organization":null,"host_organization_name":null,"host_organization_lineage":[],"host_organization_lineage_names":[],"type":"repository"},"license":"cc-by","license_id":"https://openalex.org/licenses/cc-by","version":"submittedVersion","is_accepted":false,"is_published":false,"raw_source_name":null,"raw_type":"Article"},"type":"article","indexed_in":["datacite"],"open_access":{"is_oa":true,"oa_status":"green","oa_url":null,"any_repository_has_fulltext":true},"authorships":[{"author_position":"first","author":{"id":"https://openalex.org/A5128671858","display_name":"Ran Cheng","orcid":null},"institutions":[],"countries":[],"is_corresponding":true,"raw_author_name":"Cheng, Ran","raw_affiliation_strings":[],"raw_orcid":null,"affiliations":[]}],"institutions":[],"countries_distinct_count":0,"institutions_distinct_count":0,"corresponding_author_ids":["https://openalex.org/A5128671858"],"corresponding_institution_ids":[],"apc_list":null,"apc_paid":null,"fwci":0.0,"has_fulltext":false,"cited_by_count":0,"citation_normalized_percentile":{"value":0.29023354,"is_in_top_1_percent":false,"is_in_top_10_percent":false},"cited_by_percentile_year":null,"biblio":{"volume":null,"issue":null,"first_page":null,"last_page":null},"is_retracted":false,"is_paratext":false,"is_xpac":false,"primary_topic":{"id":"https://openalex.org/T11307","display_name":"Domain Adaptation and Few-Shot Learning","score":0.76910001039505,"subfield":{"id":"https://openalex.org/subfields/1702","display_name":"Artificial Intelligence"},"field":{"id":"https://openalex.org/fields/17","display_name":"Computer Science"},"domain":{"id":"https://openalex.org/domains/3","display_name":"Physical Sciences"}},"topics":[{"id":"https://openalex.org/T11307","display_name":"Domain Adaptation and Few-Shot Learning","score":0.76910001039505,"subfield":{"id":"https://openalex.org/subfields/1702","display_name":"Artificial Intelligence"},"field":{"id":"https://openalex.org/fields/17","display_name":"Computer Science"},"domain":{"id":"https://openalex.org/domains/3","display_name":"Physical Sciences"}},{"id":"https://openalex.org/T10918","display_name":"Memory Processes and Influences","score":0.09210000187158585,"subfield":{"id":"https://openalex.org/subfields/2805","display_name":"Cognitive Neuroscience"},"field":{"id":"https://openalex.org/fields/28","display_name":"Neuroscience"},"domain":{"id":"https://openalex.org/domains/1","display_name":"Life Sciences"}},{"id":"https://openalex.org/T11605","display_name":"Visual Attention and Saliency Detection","score":0.008200000040233135,"subfield":{"id":"https://openalex.org/subfields/1707","display_name":"Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition"},"field":{"id":"https://openalex.org/fields/17","display_name":"Computer Science"},"domain":{"id":"https://openalex.org/domains/3","display_name":"Physical Sciences"}}],"keywords":[{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/forgetting","display_name":"Forgetting","score":0.858299970626831},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/context","display_name":"Context (archaeology)","score":0.5559999942779541},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/channel","display_name":"Channel (broadcasting)","score":0.45559999346733093},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/oracle","display_name":"Oracle","score":0.37400001287460327},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/task","display_name":"Task (project management)","score":0.33559998869895935},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/weighting","display_name":"Weighting","score":0.3303000032901764}],"concepts":[{"id":"https://openalex.org/C7149132","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1377840","display_name":"Forgetting","level":2,"score":0.858299970626831},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C41008148","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q21198","display_name":"Computer science","level":0,"score":0.6381999850273132},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C2779343474","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3109175","display_name":"Context (archaeology)","level":2,"score":0.5559999942779541},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C154945302","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q11660","display_name":"Artificial intelligence","level":1,"score":0.46869999170303345},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C127162648","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q16858953","display_name":"Channel (broadcasting)","level":2,"score":0.45559999346733093},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C55166926","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2892946","display_name":"Oracle","level":2,"score":0.37400001287460327},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C2780451532","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q759676","display_name":"Task (project management)","level":2,"score":0.33559998869895935},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C183115368","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q856577","display_name":"Weighting","level":2,"score":0.3303000032901764},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C98184364","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1780131","display_name":"Argument (complex analysis)","level":2,"score":0.32359999418258667},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C80444323","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2878974","display_name":"Theoretical computer science","level":1,"score":0.32260000705718994},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C119857082","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2539","display_name":"Machine learning","level":1,"score":0.31060001254081726},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C153083717","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6535263","display_name":"Leverage (statistics)","level":2,"score":0.31040000915527344},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C2780813799","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3274237","display_name":"Zero (linguistics)","level":2,"score":0.2793000042438507},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C183322885","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q17007702","display_name":"Context model","level":3,"score":0.2759000062942505},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C189950617","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q937228","display_name":"Property (philosophy)","level":2,"score":0.27489998936653137},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C2778355321","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q17079427","display_name":"Identity (music)","level":2,"score":0.26249998807907104},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C11413529","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q8366","display_name":"Algorithm","level":1,"score":0.2597000002861023}],"mesh":[],"locations_count":2,"locations":[{"id":"pmh:doi:10.48550/arxiv.2603.07415","is_oa":true,"landing_page_url":null,"pdf_url":null,"source":{"id":"https://openalex.org/S4406922384","display_name":"Open MIND","issn_l":null,"issn":null,"is_oa":false,"is_in_doaj":false,"is_core":false,"host_organization":null,"host_organization_name":null,"host_organization_lineage":[],"host_organization_lineage_names":[],"type":"repository"},"license":"cc-by","license_id":"https://openalex.org/licenses/cc-by","version":"submittedVersion","is_accepted":false,"is_published":false,"raw_source_name":null,"raw_type":"Article"},{"id":"doi:10.48550/arxiv.2603.07415","is_oa":true,"landing_page_url":"https://doi.org/10.48550/arxiv.2603.07415","pdf_url":null,"source":{"id":"https://openalex.org/S4306400194","display_name":"arXiv (Cornell University)","issn_l":null,"issn":null,"is_oa":true,"is_in_doaj":false,"is_core":false,"host_organization":"https://openalex.org/I205783295","host_organization_name":"Cornell University","host_organization_lineage":["https://openalex.org/I205783295"],"host_organization_lineage_names":[],"type":"repository"},"license":"cc-by","license_id":"https://openalex.org/licenses/cc-by","version":null,"is_accepted":false,"is_published":null,"raw_source_name":null,"raw_type":"Preprint"}],"best_oa_location":{"id":"pmh:doi:10.48550/arxiv.2603.07415","is_oa":true,"landing_page_url":null,"pdf_url":null,"source":{"id":"https://openalex.org/S4406922384","display_name":"Open MIND","issn_l":null,"issn":null,"is_oa":false,"is_in_doaj":false,"is_core":false,"host_organization":null,"host_organization_name":null,"host_organization_lineage":[],"host_organization_lineage_names":[],"type":"repository"},"license":"cc-by","license_id":"https://openalex.org/licenses/cc-by","version":"submittedVersion","is_accepted":false,"is_published":false,"raw_source_name":null,"raw_type":"Article"},"sustainable_development_goals":[],"awards":[],"funders":[],"has_content":{"pdf":false,"grobid_xml":false},"content_urls":null,"referenced_works_count":0,"referenced_works":[],"related_works":[],"abstract_inverted_index":{"Catastrophic":[0],"forgetting":[1,49,125,139,150],"remains":[2],"a":[3,12,36,159,173],"central":[4,228],"challenge":[5],"in":[6],"continual":[7],"learning":[8],"(CL),":[9],"yet":[10],"lacks":[11],"unified":[13],"information-theoretic":[14],"explanation":[15],"for":[16,163],"why":[17],"some":[18],"architectures":[19,88],"forget":[20],"catastrophically":[21],"while":[22,141],"others":[23],"do":[24],"not.":[25],"We":[26,61,102,153],"introduce":[27],"\\emph{Context":[28],"Channel":[29],"Capacity}":[30],"($C_\\mathrm{ctx}$),":[31],"the":[32,57,168,180,197,211,220,235],"mutual":[33],"information":[34],"between":[35],"CL":[37,108],"architecture's":[38],"context":[39,236],"signal":[40],"and":[41,45,71,83,166,210],"its":[42],"generated":[43],"parameters,":[44],"prove":[46],"that":[47,85,121,178],"zero":[48,67,149],"requires":[50],"$C_\\mathrm{ctx}":[51,129,144],"\\geq":[52],"H(T)$,":[53],"where":[54],"$H(T)$":[55],"is":[56],"task":[58],"identity":[59],"entropy.":[60],"establish":[62],"an":[63],"\\emph{Impossibility":[64],"Triangle}":[65],"--":[66,82,195,218,234],"forgetting,":[68],"online":[69],"learning,":[70],"finite":[72],"parameters":[73,95],"cannot":[74],"be":[75,239],"simultaneously":[76],"satisfied":[77],"by":[78,93],"sequential":[79],"state-based":[80],"learners":[81],"show":[84],"conditional":[86],"regeneration":[87],"(HyperNetworks)":[89],"bypass":[90],"this":[91,104],"triangle":[92],"redefining":[94],"as":[96],"function":[97],"values":[98],"rather":[99],"than":[100],"states.":[101],"validate":[103],"framework":[105,169],"across":[106],"8":[107],"methods":[109,127,142],"on":[110],"Split-MNIST":[111],"(1,130+":[112],"experiments":[113],"over":[114,232],"86":[115],"days,":[116],"4":[117],"seeds":[118],"each),":[119],"showing":[120],"$C_\\mathrm{ctx}$":[122],"perfectly":[123],"predicts":[124],"behavior:":[126],"with":[128,143,222],"=":[130],"0$":[131],"(NaiveSGD,":[132],"EWC,":[133],"SI,":[134],"LwF,":[135],"CFlow)":[136],"exhibit":[137],"catastrophic":[138],"(6--97\\%),":[140],"\\approx":[145],"1$":[146],"(HyperNetwork)":[147],"achieve":[148],"(98.8\\%":[151],"ACC).":[152],"further":[154],"propose":[155],"\\emph{Wrong-Context":[156],"Probing}":[157],"(P5),":[158],"practical":[160],"diagnostic":[161],"protocol":[162],"measuring":[164],"$C_\\mathrm{ctx}$,":[165],"extend":[167],"to":[170,185,215],"CIFAR-10":[171],"via":[172],"novel":[174],"\\emph{Gradient":[175],"Context":[176],"Encoder}":[177],"closes":[179],"oracle":[181],"gap":[182],"from":[183],"23.3pp":[184],"0.7pp.":[186],"A":[187],"systematic":[188],"taxonomy":[189],"of":[190],"15+":[191],"closed":[192],"research":[193],"directions":[194],"including":[196],"Hebbian":[198],"null":[199],"result":[200],"(frozen":[201],"random":[202],"features":[203],"outperform":[204],"learned":[205],"features),":[206],"CFlow's":[207],"$\u03b8_0$-memorizer":[208],"phenomenon,":[209],"$S_N$":[212],"symmetry":[213],"barrier":[214],"column":[216],"specialization":[217],"provides":[219],"community":[221],"precisely":[223],"diagnosed":[224],"negative":[225],"results.":[226],"Our":[227],"design":[229],"principle:":[230],"\\emph{architecture":[231],"algorithm}":[233],"pathway":[237],"must":[238],"structurally":[240],"unbypassable.":[241]},"counts_by_year":[],"updated_date":"2026-07-15T18:14:33.161393","created_date":"2026-03-11T00:00:00"}