Globally linearly convergent nonlinear conjugate gradients without Wolfe line search

This paper introduces a new nonlinear conjugate gradient (CG) method using an efficient gradient-free line search method. Unless function values diverge to $-\infty$, global convergence to a stationary point is proved for continuously differentiable objective functions with Lipschitz continuous gradient, and global linear convergence if this stationary point is a strong local minimizer. The $n$-iterations … Read more

An improvement of the Goldstein line search

This paper introduces CLS, a new line search along an arbitrary smooth search path, that starts at the current iterate tangentially to a descent direction. Like the Goldstein line search and unlike the Wolfe line search, the new line search uses, beyond the gradient at the current iterate, only function values. Using this line search … Read more

Efficient composite heuristics for integer bound constrained noisy optimization

This paper discusses a composite algorithm for bound constrained noisy derivative-free optimization problems with integer variables. This algorithm is an integer variant of the matrix adaptation evolution strategy. An integer derivative-free line search strategy along affine scaling matrix directions is used to generate candidate points. Each affine scaling matrix direction is a product of the … Read more

LMBOPT — a limited memory method for bound-constrained optimization

Recently, Neumaier and Azmi gave a comprehensive convergence theory for a generic algorithm for bound constrained optimization problems with a continuously differentiable objective function. The algorithm combines an active set strategy with a gradient-free line search CLS along a piecewise linear search path defined by directions chosen to reduce zigzagging. This paper describes LMBOPT, an … Read more

An improved randomized algorithm with noise level tuning for large-scale noisy unconstrained DFO problems

In this paper, a new randomized solver (called VRDFON) for noisy unconstrained derivative-free optimization (DFO) problems is discussed. Complexity result in the presence of noise for nonconvex functions is studied. Two effective ingredients of VRDFON are an improved derivative-free line search algorithm with many heuristic enhancements and quadratic models in adaptively determined subspaces. Numerical results … Read more

Efficient global unconstrained black box optimization

For the unconstrained optimization of black box functions, this paper introduces a new randomized algorithm called VRBBO. In practice, VRBBO matches the quality of other state-of-the-art algorithms for finding, in small and large dimensions, a local minimizer with reasonable accuracy. Although our theory guarantees only local minimizers our heuristic techniques turn VRBBO into an efficient … Read more