Local Convergence Analysis of an Inexact Trust-Region Method for Nonsmooth Optimization

In [R. J. Baraldi and D. P. Kouri, Mathematical Programming, (2022), pp. 1–40], we introduced an inexact trust-region algorithm for minimizing the sum of a smooth nonconvex function and a nonsmooth convex function in Hilbert space—a class of problems that is ubiquitous in data science, learning, optimal control, and inverse problems. This algorithm has demonstrated … Read more

Efficient Proximal Subproblem Solvers for a Nonsmooth Trust-Region Method

In [R. J. Baraldi and D. P. Kouri, Mathematical Programming, (2022), pp. 1-40], we introduced an inexact trust-region algorithm for minimizing the sum of a smooth nonconvex and nonsmooth convex function. The principle expense of this method is in computing a trial iterate that satisfies the so-called fraction of Cauchy decrease condition—a bound that ensures … Read more

Shape-Changing Trust-Region Methods Using Multipoint Symmetric Secant Matrices

In this work, we consider methods for large-scale and nonconvex unconstrained optimization. We propose a new trust-region method whose subproblem is defined using a so-called “shape-changing” norm together with densely-initialized multipoint symmetric secant (MSS) matrices to approximate the Hessian. Shape-changing norms and dense initializations have been successfully used in the context of traditional quasi Newton … Read more

First- and Second-Order High Probability Complexity Bounds for Trust-Region Methods with Noisy Oracles

In this paper, we present convergence guarantees for a modified trust-region method designed for minimizing objective functions whose value is computed with noise and for which gradient and Hessian estimates are inexact and possibly random. In order to account for the noise, the method utilizes a relaxed step acceptance criterion and a cautious trust-region radius … Read more

Worst-Case Complexity of TRACE with Inexact Subproblem Solutions for Nonconvex Smooth Optimization

An algorithm for solving nonconvex smooth optimization problems is proposed, analyzed, and tested. The algorithm is an extension of the Trust Region Algorithm with Contractions and Expansions (TRACE) [Math. Prog. 162(1):132, 2017]. In particular, the extension allows the algorithm to use inexact solutions of the arising subproblems, which is an important feature for solving large-scale … Read more

Exploiting Prior Function Evaluations in Derivative-Free Optimization

A derivative-free optimization (DFO) algorithm is presented. The distinguishing feature of the algorithm is that it allows for the use of function values that have been made available through prior runs of a DFO algorithm for solving prior related optimization problems. Applications in which sequences of related optimization problems are solved such that the proposed … Read more

Stochastic trust-region and direct-search methods: A weak tail bound condition and reduced sample sizing

Using tail bounds, we introduce a new probabilistic condition for function estimation in stochastic derivative-free optimization which leads to a reduction in the number of samples and eases algorithmic analyses. Moreover, we develop simple stochastic direct-search and trust-region methods for the optimization of a potentially non-smooth function whose values can only be estimated via stochastic … Read more

Trust-region algorithms: probabilistic complexity and intrinsic noise with applications to subsampling techniques

A trust-region algorithm is presented for finding approximate minimizers of smooth unconstrained functions whose values and derivatives are subject to random noise. It is shown that, under suitable probabilistic assumptions, the new method finds (in expectation) an epsilon-approximate minimizer of arbitrary order q > 0 in at most O(epsilon^{-(q+1)}) inexact evaluations of the function and … Read more

Model-Based Derivative-Free Methods for Convex-Constrained Optimization

We present a model-based derivative-free method for optimization subject to general convex constraints, which we assume are unrelaxable and accessed only through a projection operator that is cheap to evaluate. We prove global convergence and a worst-case complexity of $O(\epsilon^{-2})$ iterations and objective evaluations for nonconvex functions, matching results for the unconstrained case. We introduce … Read more

A stochastic first-order trust-region method with inexact restoration for finite-sum minimization

We propose a stochastic first-order trust-region method with inexact function and gradient evaluations for solving finite-sum minimization problems. At each iteration, the function and the gradient are approximated by sampling. The sample size in gradient approximations is smaller than the sample size in function approximations and the latter is determined using a deterministic rule inspired … Read more