Several efficient methods for derivative-free optimization (DFO) are based on the construction and maintenance of an interpolation model for the objective function. Most of these algorithms use special “geometry-improving” iterations, where the geometry (poisedness) of the underlying interpolation set is made better at the cost of one or more function evaluations. We show that such … Read more
We consider Hessian approximation schemes for large-scale multilevel unconstrained optimization problems, which typically present a sparsity and partial separability structure. This allows iterative quasi-Newton methods to solve them despite of their size. Structured finite-difference methods and updating schemes based on the secant equation are presented and compared numerically inside the multilevel trust-region algorithm proposed by … Read more
A general class of algorithms for unconstrained optimization is introduced, which subsumes the classical trust-region algorithm and two of its newer variants, as well as the cubic and quadratic regularization methods. A unified theory of global convergence to first-order critical points is then described for this class. An extension to projection-based trust-region algorithms for nonlinear … Read more
The goal of this paper is to show that the use of minimum Frobenius norm quadratic models can improve the performance of direct-search methods. The approach taken here is to maintain the structure of directional direct-search methods, organized around a search and a poll step, and to use the set of previously evaluated points generated … Read more
Using $\eps$-subdifferential calculus for difference-of-convex (d.c.) programming, D\”ur proposed a condition sufficient for local optimality, and showed that this condition is not necessary in general. Here it is proved that whenever the convex part is strongly convex, this condition is also necessary. Strong convexity can always be ensured by changing the given d.c. decomposition slightly. … Read more
SESOP-TN is a method for very large scale unconstrained optimization of smooth functions. It combines ideas of Sequential Subspace Optimization (SESOP) [Narkiss-Zibulevsky-2005] with those of the Truncated Newton (TN) method . Replacing TN line search with subspace optimization, we allow Conjugate Gradient (CG) iterations to stay matched through consequent TN steps. This resolves the problem … Read more
We propose a new truncated Newton method for large scale unconstrained optimization, where a Conjugate Gradient (CG)-based technique is adopted to solve Newton’s equation. In the current iteration, the Krylov method computes a pair of search directions: the first approximates the Newton step of the quadratic convex model, while the second is a suitable negative … Read more
Semidefinite relaxations often provide excellent starting points for nonconvex problems with multiple local minimizers. This work aims to find a local minimizer within a certain neighborhood of the starting point and with a small objective value. Several approaches are motivated and compared with each other. CitationReport, Mathematisches Institut, Universitaet Duesseldorf, August 2008.ArticleDownload View PDF
We modify the first order algorithm for convex programming proposed by Nesterov. The resulting algorithm keeps the optimal complexity obtained by Nesterov with no need of a known Lipschitz constant for the gradient, and performs better in practically all examples in a set of test problems. CitationTechnical Report, Federal University of Santa Catarina, 2008.ArticleDownload View … Read more
Focusing on what an optimization problem may comply with, the so-called convergence conditions have been proposed and sequentially a stochastic optimization algorithm named as DSZ algorithm is presented in order to deal with both unconstrained and constrained optimizations. Its principle is discussed in the theoretical model of DSZ algorithm, from which we present a practical … Read more