We propose a fast algorithm for solving the l1-regularized least squares problem for recovering sparse solutions to an undetermined system of linear equations Ax = b. The algorithm is divided into two stages that are performed repeatedly. In the first stage a first-order iterative method called "shrinkage" yields an estimate of the subset of components of x likely to be nonzero in an optimal solution. Restricting the decision variables x to this subset and fixing their signs at their current values reduces the l1-norm to a linear function of x. The resulting subspace problem, which involves the minimization of a smaller and smooth quadratic function, is solved in the second phase. Our code FPC_AS embeds this basic two-stage algorithm in a continuation (homotopy) approach by assigning a decreasing sequence of values to mu. This code exhibits state-of-the-art performance both in terms of its speed and its ability to recover sparse signals. It can even recover signals that are not as sparse as required by current compressive sensing theory.
Citation
Rice University CAAM Technical Report TR09-01