Nonnegativity certificates can be used to obtain tight dual bounds for polynomial optimization problems. Hierarchies of certificate-based relaxations ensure convergence to the global optimum, but higher levels of such hierarchies can become very computationally expensive, and the well-known sums of squares hierarchies scale poorly with the degree of the polynomials. This has motivated research into … Read more
Symmetry in optimization has been known to wreak havoc in optimization algorithms. Often, some of the hardest instances are highly symmetric. This is not the case in linear programming, as symmetry allows one to reduce the size of the problem, possibly dramatically, while still maintaining the same optimal objective value. This is done by aggregating … Read more
For over ten years, the constraint integer programming framework SCIP has been extended by capabilities for the solution of convex and nonconvex mixed-integer nonlinear programs (MINLPs). With the recently published version 8.0, these capabilities have been largely reworked and extended. This paper discusses the motivations for recent changes and provides an overview of features that … Read more
Optimization over the embedded submanifold defined by constraints $c(x) = 0$ has attracted much interest over the past few decades due to its wide applications in various areas, including computer vision, signal processing, numerical linear algebra, and deep learning. Plenty of related optimization packages have been developed based on Riemannian optimization approaches, which rely on … Read more
This paper discusses a composite algorithm for bound constrained noisy derivative-free optimization problems with integer variables. This algorithm is an integer variant of the matrix adaptation evolution strategy. An integer derivative-free line search strategy along affine scaling matrix directions is used to generate candidate points. Each affine scaling matrix direction is a product of the … Read more
An essential component in modern solvers for mixed-integer (linear) programs (MIPs) is the separation of additional inequalities (cutting planes) to tighten the linear programming relaxation. Various algorithmic decisions are necessary when integrating cutting plane methods into a branch-and-bound (B&B) solver as there is always the trade-off between the efficiency of the cuts and their costs, … Read more
In deterministic optimization, it is typically assumed that all parameters of the problem are fixed and known. In practice, however, some parameters may be a priori unknown but can be estimated from historical data. A typical predict-then-optimize approach separates predictions and optimization into two stages. Recently, end-to-end predict-then-optimize has become an attractive alternative. In this … Read more
In this paper we present BilevelJuMP, a new Julia package to support bilevel optimization within the JuMP framework. The package is a Julia library that enables the user to describe both upper and lower-level optimization problems using the JuMP algebraic syntax. Due to the generality and flexibility our library inherits from JuMP’s syntax, our package … Read more
Tight reformulations of combinatorial optimization problems like Convex Mixed-Integer Nonlinear Programs (MINLPs) enable one to solve these problems faster by obtaining tight bounds on the optimal value. We consider two techniques for reformulation: perspective reformulation and separability detection. We develop routines for the automatic detection of problem structures suitable for these reformulations and implement new … Read more
Projecting a vector onto a simplex is a well-studied problem that arises in a wide range of optimization problems. Numerous algorithms have been proposed for determining the projection; however, all but one of these algorithms are serial. We address this gap by developing a method that preprocesses the input vector by decomposing and distributing it … Read more