Numerical estimation of the relative entropy of entanglement

We propose a practical algorithm for the calculation of the relative entropy of entanglement(REE), defined as the minimum relative entropy between a state and the set of states with positive partial transpose. Our algorithm is based on a practical semi-definite cutting plane approach. In low dimensions the implementation of the algorithm in MATLAB provides an … Read more

A quasi-Newton projection method for nonnegatively constrained image deblurring

In this paper we present a quasi-Newton projection method for image deblurring. The mathematical problem is a constrained minimization problem, where the objective function is a regularization function and the constraint is the positivity of the solution. The regularization function is a sum of the Kullback-Leibler divergence, used to minimize the error in the presence … Read more

Optimizing the Layout of Proportional Symbol Maps: Polyhedra and Computation

Proportional symbol maps are a cartographic tool to assist in the visualization and analysis of quantitative data associated with specific locations, such as earthquake magnitudes, oil well production, and temperature at weather stations. As the name suggests, symbol sizes are proportional to the magnitude of the physical quantities that they represent. We present two novel … Read more

Finding approximately rank-one submatrices with the nuclear norm and l1 norm

We propose a convex optimization formulation with the nuclear norm and $\ell_1$-norm to find a large approximately rank-one submatrix of a given nonnegative matrix. We develop optimality conditions for the formulation and characterize the properties of the optimal solutions. We establish conditions under which the optimal solution of the convex formulation has a specific sparse … Read more

A modified DIRECT algorithm for a problem in astrophysics

We present a modification of the DIRECT algorithm, called DIRECT-G, to solve a box-constrained global optimization problem arising in the detection of gravitational waves emitted by coalescing binary systems of compact objects. This is a hard problem since the objective function is highly nonlinear and expensive to evaluate, has a huge number of local extrema … Read more

Accuracy guarantees for ℓ1-recovery

We discuss two new methods of recovery of sparse signals from noisy observation based on ℓ1- minimization. They are closely related to the well-known techniques such as Lasso and Dantzig Selector. However, these estimators come with efficiently verifiable guaranties of performance. By optimizing these bounds with respect to the method parameters we are able to … Read more

Fairer Benchmarking of Optimization Algorithms via Derivative Free Optimization

Research in optimization algorithm design is often accompanied by benchmarking a new al- gorithm. Some benchmarking is done as a proof-of-concept, by demonstrating the new algorithm works on a small number of dicult test problems. Alternately, some benchmarking is done in order to demonstrate that the new algorithm in someway out-performs previous methods. In this … Read more

Total variation superiorization schemes in proton computed tomography image reconstruction

Purpose: Iterative projection reconstruction algorithms are currently the preferred reconstruction method in proton computed tomography (pCT). However, due to inconsistencies in the measured data arising from proton energy straggling and multiple Coulomb scattering, noise in the reconstructed image increases with successive iterations. In the current work, we investigated the use of total variation superiorization (TVS) … Read more

Quest for the control on the second order derivatives: topology optimization with functional includes the state’s curvature

Many physical phenomena, governed by partial differential equations (PDEs), are second order in nature. This makes sense to pose the control on the second order derivatives of the field solution, in addition to zero and first order ones, to consistently control the underlaying process. However, this type of control is nontrivial and to the best … Read more

Minimum weight Topology optimization subject to unsteady heat equation and space-time pointwise constraints — toward automatic optimal riser design in the shape casting process

The automatic optimal design of feeding system in the shape casting process is considered in the present work. In fact, the goal is to find the optimal position, size, shape and topology of risers in the shape casting process. This problem is formulated as a minimum weight topology optimization problem subjected to a nonlinear transient … Read more