Nonlinear Optimization

Accelerating Stochastic Sequential Quadratic Programming for Equality Constrained Optimization using Predictive Variance Reduction

  • Albert S. Berahas
  • Jiahao Shi
  • Zihong Yi
  • Baoyu Zhou
    • Categories Constrained Nonlinear Optimization, Nonlinear Optimization Tags , , ,

    In this paper, we propose a stochastic variance reduction method for solving equality constrained optimization problems. Specifically, we develop a method based on the sequential quadratic programming paradigm that utilizes gradient approximations via predictive variance reduction techniques. Under reasonable assumptions, we prove that a measure of first-order stationarity evaluated at the iterates generated by our … Read more

    An Adaptive Riemannian Gradient Method Without Function Evaluations

  • Geovani Nunes Grapiglia
  • Gabriel Stella
    • Categories Nonlinear Optimization Tags , ,

    In this paper we propose an adaptive gradient method for optimization on Riemannian manifolds. The update rule for the stepsizes relies only on gradient evaluations. Assuming that the objective function is bounded from below and that its gradient field is Lipschitz continuous, we establish worst-case complexity bounds for the number of gradient evaluations that the … Read more

    Direct search based on probabilistic descent in reduced spaces

  • Lindon Roberts
  • Clément W. Royer
    • Categories Nonlinear Optimization, Unconstrained Optimization Tags , , ,

    Derivative-free algorithms seek the minimum value of a given objective function without using any derivative information. The performance of these methods often worsen as the dimension increases, a phenomenon predicted by their worst-case complexity guarantees. Nevertheless, recent algorithmic proposals have shown that incorporating randomization into otherwise deterministic frameworks could alleviate this effect for direct-search methods. … Read more

    Learning for Spatial Branching: An Algorithm Selection Approach

  • Bissan Ghaddar
  • Ignacio Gómez-Casares
  • Julio González-Díaz
  • Brais González-Rodríguez
  • Beatriz Pateiro-López
  • Sofía Rodríguez-Ballesteros
    • Categories Nonlinear Optimization Tags , , , ,

    The use of machine learning techniques to improve the performance of branch-and-bound optimization algorithms is a very active area in the context of mixed integer linear problems, but little has been done for non-linear optimization. To bridge this gap, we develop a learning framework for spatial branching and show its efficacy in the context of … Read more

    A general mathematical framework for constrained mixed-variable blackbox optimization problems with meta and categorical variables

  • Charles Audet
  • Edward Hallé-Hannan
  • Sébastien Le Digabel
    • Categories Nonlinear Optimization Tags , , , ,

    A mathematical framework for modelling constrained mixed-variable optimization problems is presented in a blackbox optimization context. The framework introduces a new notation and allows solution strategies. The notation framework allows meta and categorical variables to be explicitly and efficiently modelled, which facilitates the solution of such problems. The new term meta variables is used to … Read more

    Handling of constraints in multiobjective blackbox optimization

  • Jean Bigeon
  • Sébastien Le Digabel
  • Ludovic Salomon
    • Categories Multi-Criteria Optimization, Nonlinear Optimization Tags , , , ,

    This work proposes the integration of two new constraint-handling approaches into the blackbox constrained multiobjective optimization algorithm DMulti-MADS, an extension of the Mesh Adaptive Direct Search (MADS) algorithm for single-objective constrained optimization. The constraints are aggregated into a single constraint violation function which is used either in a two-phase approach, where research of a feasible … Read more

    A novel sequential optimality condition for smooth constrained optimization and algorithmic consequences

  • Renan W. Prado
  • Sandra A. Santos
  • Lucas E. A. Simões
    • Categories Constrained Nonlinear Optimization Tags , ,

    In the smooth constrained optimization setting, this work introduces the Domain Complementary Approximate Karush-Kuhn-Tucker (DCAKKT) condition, inspired by a sequential optimality condition recently devised for nonsmooth constrained optimization problems. It is shown that the augmented Lagrangian method can generate limit points satisfying DCAKKT, and it is proved that such a condition is not related to … Read more

    Improving the global convergence of Inexact Restoration methods for constrained optimization problems

  • Roberto Andreani
  • Alberto Ramos
  • Leonardo D. Secchin
    • Categories Constrained Nonlinear Optimization Tags , , ,

    Inexact restoration (IR) methods are an important family of numerical methods for solving constrained optimization problems with applications to electronic structures and bilevel programming among others areas. In these methods, the minimization is divided in two phases: decreasing infeasibility (feasibility phase) and improving optimality (optimality phase). The feasibility phase does not require the generated points … Read more

    Non-anticipative risk-averse analysis with effective scenarios applied to long-term hydrothermal scheduling

  • Karla Cristiane Arsie
  • Clóvis Caesar Gonzaga
  • Elizabeth Wegner Karas
  • Gislaine Aparecida Periçaro
    • Categories Nonlinear Optimization, Stochastic Programming Tags , , ,

    In this paper, we deal with long-term operation planning problems of hydrothermal power systems by considering scenario analysis and risk aversion. This is a stochastic sequential decision problem whose solution must be non-anticipative, in the sense that a decision at a stage cannot use a perfect knowledge of the future. We propose strategies to reduce … Read more

    Randomized Policy Optimization for Optimal Stopping

  • Xinyi Guan
  • Velibor Mišić
    • Categories Dynamic Programming, Finance and Economics, Unconstrained Optimization Tags , , , ,

    Optimal stopping is the problem of determining when to stop a stochastic system in order to maximize reward, which is of practical importance in domains such as finance, operations management and healthcare. Existing methods for high-dimensional optimal stopping that are popular in practice produce deterministic linear policies — policies that deterministically stop based on the … Read more