Two-Stage Score Estimation for Group-Specific Diffusion Models

Huitao Yang, Oscar Hernan Madrid Padilla

Generative modeling across related distributions raises a question: how can shared structure support accurate generation for a target distribution with limited observations? We develop a statistical framework for diffusion transfer that analyzes a shared pooled score together with a target-specific offset. Under Besov regularity of the pooled density and a stable hierarchical composition model for the offset, we derive convergence rates that separate the costs of learning these components and identify when a simpler offset yields a faster risk-bound rate than separate fitting. Under suitable boundary and regularity assumptions, we prove that the offset remains bounded and jointly regular as diffusion time approaches zero. These results allow the lower time cutoff to vanish polynomially and provide total-variation guarantees for diffusion models as density estimators. Synthetic simulations and image benchmarks provide a proof of concept for the framework.