On semidefinite programming relaxations of maximum k-section

We derive a new semidefinite programming bound for the maximum k-section problem. For k=2 (i.e. for maximum bisection), the new bound is least as strong as the well-known bound by Frieze and Jerrum [A. Frieze and M. Jerrum. Improved Approximation Algorithms for MAX k-CUT and MAX BISECTION. Algorithmica, 18(1): 67-81, 1997]. For k > 2 … Read more

Relaxations of combinatorial problems via association schemes

In this chapter we study a class of semidefinite programming relaxations of combinatorial problems. These relaxations are derived using the theory of coherent configurations in algebraic combinatorics. Citation Draft version of a chapter for “Handbook on SDP II” (M. Anjos and J. Lasserre, eds.), Springer. Article Download View Relaxations of combinatorial problems via association schemes

Feasible and accurate algorithms for covering semidefinite programs

In this paper we describe an algorithm to approximately solve a class of semidefinite programs called covering semidefinite programs. This class includes many semidefinite programs that arise in the context of developing algorithms for important optimization problems such as sparsest cut, wireless multicasting, and pattern classification. We give algorithms for covering SDPs whose dependence on … Read more

NCSOSTOOLS: A COMPUTER ALGEBRA SYSTEM FOR SYMBOLIC AND NUMERICAL COMPUTATION WITH NONCOMMUTATIVE POLYNOMIALS

Abstract. NCSOStools is a Matlab toolbox for – symbolic computation with polynomials in noncommuting variables; – constructing and solving sum of hermitian squares (with commutators) programs for polynomials in noncommuting variables. It can be used in combination with semidefi nite programming software, such as SeDuMi, SDPA or SDPT3 to solve these constructed programs. This paper provides … Read more

Semidefinite code bounds based on quadruple distances

Let A(n, d) be the maximum number of 0, 1 words of length n, any two having Hamming distance at least d. We prove A(20, 8) = 256, which implies that the quadruply shortened Golay code is optimal. Moreover, we show A(18, 6) ≤ 673, A(19, 6) ≤ 1237, A(20, 6) ≤ 2279, A(23, 6) … Read more

Truss topology design with integer variables made easy

We propose a new look at the problem of truss topology optimization with integer or binary variables. We show that the problem can be equivalently formulated as an integer \emph{linear} semidefinite optimization problem. This makes its numerical solution much easier, compared to existing approaches. We demonstrate that one can use an off-the-shelf solver with default … Read more

Convex approximations in stochastic programming by semidefinite programming

The following question arises in stochastic programming: how can one approximate a noisy convex function with a convex quadratic function that is optimal in some sense. Using several approaches for constructing convex approximations we present some optimization models yielding convex quadratic regressions that are optimal approximations in $L_1$, $L_\infty$ and $L_2$ norm. Extensive numerical experiments … Read more

The tracial moment problem and trace-optimization of polynomials

The main topic addressed in this paper is trace-optimization of polynomials in noncommuting (nc) variables: given an nc polynomial f, what is the smallest trace f(A) can attain for a tuple of matrices A? A relaxation using semidefinite programming (SDP) based on sums of hermitian squares and commutators is proposed. While this relaxation is not … Read more

The matricial relaxation of a linear matrix inequality

Given linear matrix inequalities (LMIs) L_1 and L_2, it is natural to ask: (Q1) when does one dominate the other, that is, does L_1(X) PsD imply L_2(X) PsD? (Q2) when do they have the same solution set? Such questions can be NP-hard. This paper describes a natural relaxation of an LMI, based on substituting matrices … Read more

An inexact interior point method for L1-regularized sparse covariance selection

Sparse covariance selection problems can be formulated as log-determinant (log-det) semidefinite programming (SDP) problems with large numbers of linear constraints. Standard primal-dual interior-point methods that are based on solving the Schur complement equation would encounter severe computational bottlenecks if they are applied to solve these SDPs. In this paper, we consider a customized inexact primal-dual … Read more