A Complete Characterization of the Gap between Convexity and SOS-Convexity

Our first contribution in this paper is to prove that three natural sum of squares (sos) based sufficient conditions for convexity of polynomials via the definition of convexity, its first order characterization, and its second order characterization are equivalent. These three equivalent algebraic conditions, henceforth referred to as sos-convexity, can be checked by semidefinite programming … Read more

Algorithmic aspects of sums of hermitian squares of noncommutative polynomials

This paper presents an algorithm and its implementation in the software package NCSOStools for finding sums of hermitian squares and commutators decompositions for polynomials in noncommuting variables. The algorithm is based on noncommutative analogs of the classical Gram matrix method and the Newton polytope method, which allows us to use semidefinite programming. Throughout the paper … Read more

Welfare-Maximizing Correlated Equilibria using Kantorovich Polynomials with Sparsity

We propose an algorithm that computes the epsilon-correlated equilibria with global-optimal (i.e., maximum) expected social welfare for single stage polynomial games. We first derive an infinite-dimensional formulation of epsilon-correlated equilibria using Kantorovich polynomials and re-express it as a polynomial positivity constraint. In addition, we exploit polynomial sparsity to achieve a leaner problem formulation involving Sum-Of-Squares … Read more

CONSTRAINED POLYNOMIAL OPTIMIZATION PROBLEMS WITH NONCOMMUTING VARIABLES

In this paper we study constrained eigenvalue optimization of noncommutative (nc) polynomials, focusing on the polydisc and the ball. Our three main results are as follows: (1) an nc polynomial is nonnegative if and only if it admits a weighted sum of hermitian squares decomposition; (2) (eigenvalue) optima for nc polynomials can be computed using … 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

Extension of the semidefinite characterization of sum of squares functional systems to algebraic structures

We extend Nesterov’s semidefinite programming (SDP) characterization of the cone of functions that can be expressed as sums of squares (SOS) of functions in finite dimensional linear functional spaces. Our extension is to algebraic systems that are endowed with a binary operation which map two elements of a finite dimensional vector space to another vector … Read more

A Facial Reduction Algorithm for Finding Sparse SOS Representations

Facial reduction algorithm reduces the size of the positive semidefinite cone in SDP. The elimination method for a sparse SOS polynomial ([3]) removes unnecessary monomials for an SOS representation. In this paper, we establish a relationship between a facial reduction algorithm and the elimination method for a sparse SOS polynomial. Citation Technical Report CS-09-02, Department … Read more

Semidefinite programming and sums of hermitian squares of noncommutative polynomials

An algorithm for finding sums of hermitian squares decompositions for polynomials in noncommuting variables is presented. The algorithm is based on the “Newton chip method”, a noncommutative analog of the classical Newton polytope method, and semide finite programming. Citation I. Klep and J. Povh. Semide nite programming and sums of hermitian squares of noncommutative polynomials. J. Pure … Read more

A convex polynomial that is not sos-convex

A multivariate polynomial $p(x)=p(x_1,…,x_n)$ is sos-convex if its Hessian $H(x)$ can be factored as $H(x)= M^T(x) M(x)$ with a possibly nonsquare polynomial matrix $M(x)$. It is easy to see that sos-convexity is a sufficient condition for convexity of $p(x)$. Moreover, the problem of deciding sos-convexity of a polynomial can be cast as the feasibility of … Read more

A Note on Sparse SOS and SDP Relaxations for Polynomial Optimization Problems over Symmetric Cones

This short note extends the sparse SOS (sum of squares) and SDP (semidefinite programming) relaxation proposed by Waki, Kim, Kojima and Muramatsu for normal POPs (polynomial optimization problems) to POPs over symmetric cones, and establishes its theoretical convergence based on the recent convergence result by Lasserre on the sparse SOS and SDP relaxation for normal … Read more