Weak convexity and approximate subdifferentials

We explore and construct an enlarged subdifferential for weakly convex functions. The resulting object turns out to be continuous with respect to both the function argument and the enlargement parameter. We carefully analyze connections with other constructs in the literature and particularize to the weakly convex setting well-known variational principles. By resorting to the new … Read more

Block Majorization Minimization with Extrapolation and Application to $\beta$-NMF

We propose a Block Majorization Minimization method with Extrapolation (BMMe) for solving a class of multi-convex optimization problems. The extrapolation parameters of BMMe are updated using a novel adaptive update rule. By showing that block majorization minimization can be reformulated as a block mirror descent method, with the Bregman divergence adaptively updated at each iteration, … Read more

An Inexact Restoration Direct Multisearch Filter Approach to Multiobjective Constrained Derivative-free Optimization

Direct Multisearch (DMS) is a well-established class of methods for multiobjective derivative-free optimization, where constraints are addressed by an extreme barrier approach, only evaluating feasible points. In this work, we propose a filter approach, combined with an inexact feasibility restoration step, to address constraints in the DMS framework. The filter approach treats feasibility as an … Read more

Greedy Newton: Newton’s Method with Exact Line Search

A defining characteristic of Newton’s method is local superlinear convergence within a neighbourhood of a strict local minimum. However, outside this neighborhood Newton’s method can converge slowly or even diverge. A common approach to dealing with non-convergence is using a step size that is set by an Armijo backtracking line search. With suitable initialization the … Read more

Solving separable convex optimization problems: Faster prediction-correction framework

He and Yuan’s prediction-correction framework [SIAM J. Numer. Anal. 50: 700-709, 2012] is able to provide convergent algorithms for solving separable convex optimization problems at a rate of $O(1/t)$ ($t$ represents iteration times) in both ergodic (the average of iteration) and pointwise senses. This paper presents a faster prediction-correction framework at a rate of $O(1/t)$ … Read more

Computational Guarantees for Restarted PDHG for LP based on “Limiting Error Ratios” and LP Sharpness

In recent years, there has been growing interest in solving linear optimization problems – or more simply “LP” – using first-order methods in order to avoid the costly matrix factorizations of traditional methods for huge-scale LP instances. The restarted primal-dual hybrid gradient method (PDHG) – together with some heuristic techniques – has emerged as a … Read more

On the Relation Between LP Sharpness and Limiting Error Ratio and Complexity Implications for Restarted PDHG

There has been a recent surge in development of first-order methods (FOMs) for solving huge-scale linear programming (LP) problems. The attractiveness of FOMs for LP stems in part from the fact that they avoid costly matrix factorization computation. However, the efficiency of FOMs is significantly influenced – both in theory and in practice – by … Read more

Convergence Rate of Projected Subgradient Method with Time-varying Step-sizes

We establish the optimal ergodic convergence rate for the classical projected subgradient method with time-varying step-sizes. This convergence rate remains the same even if we slightly increase the weight of the most recent points, thereby relaxing the ergodic sense. ArticleDownload View PDF

Convergence of the Chambolle–Pock Algorithm in the Absence of Monotonicity

The Chambolle-Pock algorithm (CPA), also known as the primal-dual hybrid gradient method (PDHG), has surged in popularity in the last decade due to its success in solving convex/monotone structured problems. This work provides convergence results for problems with varying degrees of (non)monotonicity, quantified through a so-called oblique weak Minty condition on the associated primal-dual operator. … Read more

Doubly stochastic primal dual splitting algorithm with variance reduction for saddle point problems

The structured saddle-point problem involving the infimal convolution in real Hilbert spaces finds applicability in many applied mathematics disciplines. For this purpose, we develop a stochastic primal-dual splitting algorithm with loopless variance-reduction for solving this generic problem. We first prove the weak almost sure convergence of the iterates. We then demonstrate that our algorithm achieves … Read more