A primal–dual interior point method for nonlinear semidefinite programming

This paper is concerned with a primal–dual interior point method for solving nonlinear semidefinite programming problems. The method consists of the outer iteration (SDPIP) that finds a KKT point and the inner iteration (SDPLS) that calculates an approximate barrier KKT point. Algorithm SDPLS uses a commutative class of Newton-like directions for the generation of line search directions. By combining the primal barrier penalty function and the primal–dual barrier function, a new primal–dual merit function is proposed. We prove the global convergence property of our method. Finally some numerical experiments are given.     

Superlinear and quadratic convergence of some primal-dual interior point methods for constrained optimization

This paper proves local convergence rates of primal-dual interior point methods for general nonlinearly constrained optimization problems. Conditions to be satisfied at a solution are those given by the usual Jacobian uniqueness conditions. Proofs about convergence rates are given for three kinds of step size rules. They are: (i) the step size rule adopted by Zhang et al. in their convergence analysis of a primal-dual interior point method for linear programs, in which they used single step size for primal and dual variables; (ii) the step size rule used in the software package OB1, which uses different step sizes for primal and dual variables; and (iii) the step size rule used by Yamashita for his globally convergent primal-dual interior point method for general constrained optimization problems, which also uses different step sizes for primal and dual variables. Conditions to the barrier parameter and parameters in step size rules are given for each case. For these step size rules, local and quadratic convergence of the Newton method and local and superlinear convergence of the quasi-Newton method are proved. A preliminary version of this paper was presented at the conference “Optimization-Models and Algorithms” held at the Institute of Statistical Mathematics, Tokyo, March 1993.     

Linear Convergence Rates for Variants of the Alternating Direction Method of Multipliers in Smooth Cases

In the present paper, we propose a novel convergence analysis of the alternating direction method of multipliers, based on its equivalence with the overrelaxed primal–dual hybrid gradient algorithm. We consider the smooth case, where the objective function can be decomposed into one differentiable with Lipschitz continuous gradient part and one strongly convex part. Under these hypotheses, a convergence proof with an optimal parameter choice is given for the primal–dual method, which leads to convergence results for the alternating direction method of multipliers. An accelerated variant of the latter, based on a parameter relaxation, is also proposed, which is shown to converge linearly with same asymptotic rate as the primal–dual algorithm.     

On the Central Paths in Symmetric Cone Programming

This paper is devoted to the study of optimal solutions of symmetric cone programs by means of the asymptotic behavior of central paths with respect to a broad class of barrier functions. This class is, for instance, larger than that typically found in the literature for semidefinite positive programming. In this general framework, we prove the existence and the convergence of primal, dual and primal–dual central paths. We are then able to establish concrete characterizations of the limit points of these central paths for specific subclasses. Indeed, for the class of barrier functions defined at the origin, we prove that the limit point of a primal central path minimizes the corresponding barrier function over the solution set of the studied symmetric cone program. In addition, we show that the limit points of the primal and dual central paths lie in the relative interior of the primal and dual solution sets for the case of the logarithm and modified logarithm barriers.     

An ε-sensitivity analysis in the primal–dual interior point method

This paper presents a method of sensitivity analysis on the cost coefficients and the right-hand sides for most variants of the primal–dual interior point method. We first define an ε-optimal solution to describe the characteristics of the final solution obtained by the primal–dual interior point method. Then an ε-sensitivity analysis is defined to determine the characteristic region where the final solution remains the ε-optimal solution as a cost coefficient or a right-hand side changes. To develop the method of ε-sensitivity analysis, we first derive the expressions for the final solution from data which are commonly maintained in most variants of the primal–dual interior point method. Then we extract the characteristic regions on the cost coefficients and the right-hand sides by manipulating the mathematical expressions for the final solution. Finally, we show that in the nondegenerate case, the characteristic regions obtained by ε-sensitivity analysis are convergent to those obtained by sensitivity analysis in the simplex algorithm.     

Function space interior point methods for PDE constrained optimization

A primal‐dual interior point method for optimal control problems with PDE constraints is considered. The algorithm is directly applied to the infinite dimensional problem. Existence and convergence of the central path are analyzed. Numerical results from an inexact continuation method applied to a model problem are shown. (© 2004 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

On the convergence of the entropy-exponential penalty trajectories and generalized proximal point methods in semidefinite optimization

The convergence of primal and dual central paths associated to entropy and exponential functions, respectively, for semidefinite programming problem are studied in this paper. It is proved that the primal path converges to the analytic center of the primal optimal set with respect to the entropy function, the dual path converges to a point in the dual optimal set and the primal-dual path associated to this paths converges to a point in the primal-dual optimal set. As an application, the generalized proximal point method with the Kullback-Leibler distance applied to semidefinite programming problems is considered. The convergence of the primal proximal sequence to the analytic center of the primal optimal set with respect to the entropy function is established and the convergence of a particular weighted dual proximal sequence to a point in the dual optimal set is obtained.     

全局收敛的凸规划的原始—对偶不可行内点算法

本对一类凸规划提出了一个原始-对偶不可行内点算法，并证明了算法的全局收敛性。     

Primal—dual methods for linear programming

Many interior-point methods for linear programming are based on the properties of the logarithmic barrier function. After a preliminary discussion of the convergence of the (primal) projected Newton barrier method, three types of barrier method are analyzed. These methods may be categorized as primal, dual and primal—dual, and may be derived from the application of Newton's method to different variants of the same system of nonlinear equations. A fourth variant of the same equations leads to a new primal—dual method.In each of the methods discussed, convergence is demonstrated without the need for a nondegeneracy assumption or a transformation that makes the provision of a feasible point trivial. In particular, convergence is established for a primal—dual algorithm that allows a different step in the primal and dual variables and does not require primal and dual feasibility.Finally, a new method for treating free variables is proposed.Presented at the Second Asilomar Workshop on Progress in Mathematical Programming, February 1990, Asilomar, CA, United StatesThe material contained in this paper is based upon research supported by the National Science Foundation Grant DDM-9204208 and the Office of Naval Research Grant N00014-90-J-1242.     

A simple proof of a primal affine scaling method

In this paper, we present a simpler proof of the result of Tsuchiya and Muramatsu on the convergence of the primal affine scaling method. We show that the primal sequence generated by the method converges to the interior of the optimum face and the dual sequence to the analytic center of the optimal dual face, when the step size implemented in the procedure is bounded by 2/3. We also prove the optimality of the limit of the primal sequence for a slightly larger step size of 2q/(3q–1), whereq is the number of zero variables in the limit. We show this by proving the dual feasibility of a cluster point of the dual sequence.Partially supported by the grant CCR-9321550 from NSF.     

A PREDICTOR-CORRECTOR INTERIOR-POINT ALGORITHM FOR CONVEX QUADRATIC PROGRAMMING

The simplified Newton method, at the expense of fast convergence, reduces the work required by Newton method by reusing the initial Jacobian matrix. The composite Newton method attempts to balance the trade-off between expense and fast convergence by composing one Newton step with one simplified Newton step. Recently, Mehrotra suggested a predictor-corrector variant of primal-dual interior point method for linear programming. It is currently the interior-point method of the choice for linear programming. In this work we propose a predictor-corrector interior-point algorithm for convex quadratic programming. It is proved that the algorithm is equivalent to a level-1 perturbed composite Newton method. Computations in the algorithm do not require that the initial primal and dual points be feasible. Numerical experiments are made.     

A combination of potential reduction steps and steepest descent steps for solving convex programming problems

This paper studies the possibility of combining interior point strategy with a steepest descent method when solving convex programming problems, in such a way that the convergence property of the interior point method remains valid but many iterations do not request the solution of a system of equations. Motivated by this general idea, we propose a hybrid algorithm which combines a primal–dual potential reduction algorithm with the use of the steepest descent direction of the potential function. The complexity of the potential reduction algorithm remains valid but the overall computational cost can be reduced. Our numerical experiments are also reported. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Pivot versus interior point methods: Pros and cons

Linear optimization (LO) is the fundamental problem of mathematical optimization. It admits an enormous number of applications in economics, engineering, science and many other fields. The three most significant classes of algorithms for solving LO problems are: pivot, ellipsoid and interior point methods. Because ellipsoid methods are not efficient in practice we will concentrate on the computationally successful simplex and primal–dual interior point methods only, and summarize the pros and cons of these algorithm classes.     

An alternating extragradient method with non euclidean projections for saddle point problems

In this work we analyze a first order method especially tailored for smooth saddle point problems, based on an alternating extragradient scheme. The proposed method is based on three successive projection steps, which can be computed also with respect to non Euclidean metrics. The stepsize parameter can be adaptively computed, so that the method can be considered as a black-box algorithm for general smooth saddle point problems. We develop the global convergence analysis in the framework of non Euclidean proximal distance functions, under mild local Lipschitz conditions, proving also the \(\mathcal {O}(\frac{1}{k})\) rate of convergence on the primal–dual gap. Finally, we analyze the practical behavior of the method and its effectiveness on some applications arising from different fields.     

Theoretical convergence of large-step primal—dual interior point algorithms for linear programming

This paper proposes two sets of rules, Rule G and Rule P, for controlling step lengths in a generic primal—dual interior point method for solving the linear programming problem in standard form and its dual. Theoretically, Rule G ensures the global convergence, while Rule P, which is a special case of Rule G, ensures the O(nL) iteration polynomial-time computational complexity. Both rules depend only on the lengths of the steps from the current iterates in the primal and dual spaces to the respective boundaries of the primal and dual feasible regions. They rely neither on neighborhoods of the central trajectory nor on potential function. These rules allow large steps without performing any line search. Rule G is especially flexible enough for implementation in practically efficient primal—dual interior point algorithms.Part of the research was done when M. Kojima and S. Mizuno visited at the IBM Almaden Research Center. Partial support from the Office of Naval Research under Contracts N00014-87-C-0820 and N00014-91-C-0026 is acknowledged.     

A Variable Krasnoselski–Mann Algorithm for a New Class of Fixed Point Problems

We study the convergence of a variable version of the Krasnoselski–Mann algorithm applied to a primal dual fixed point problem. The link with Spingarn's partial inverse method is made, and an application to feasibility problems and mathematical programming is also proposed.     

Ergodic,primal convergence in dual subgradient schemes for convex programming,II: the case of inconsistent primal problems

Consider the utilization of a Lagrangian dual method which is convergent for consistent convex optimization problems. When it is used to solve an infeasible optimization problem, its inconsistency will then manifest itself through the divergence of the sequence of dual iterates. Will then the sequence of primal subproblem solutions still yield relevant information regarding the primal program? We answer this question in the affirmative for a convex program and an associated subgradient algorithm for its Lagrange dual. We show that the primal–dual pair of programs corresponding to an associated homogeneous dual function is in turn associated with a saddle-point problem, in which—in the inconsistent case—the primal part amounts to finding a solution in the primal space such that the Euclidean norm of the infeasibility in the relaxed constraints is minimized; the dual part amounts to identifying a feasible steepest ascent direction for the Lagrangian dual function. We present convergence results for a conditional \(\varepsilon \)-subgradient optimization algorithm applied to the Lagrangian dual problem, and the construction of an ergodic sequence of primal subproblem solutions; this composite algorithm yields convergence of the primal–dual sequence to the set of saddle-points of the associated homogeneous Lagrangian function; for linear programs, convergence to the subset in which the primal objective is at minimum is also achieved.     

A convergence proof for linear mean value cross decomposition

The mean value cross decomposition method for linear programming problems is a modification of ordinary cross decomposition that eliminates the need for using the Benders or Dantzig-Wolfe master problem. It is a generalization of the Brown-Robinson method for a finite matrix game and can also be considered as a generalization of the Kornai-Liptak method. It is based on the subproblem phase in cross decomposition, where we iterate between the dual subproblem and the primal subproblem. As input to the dual subproblem we use the average of a part of all dual solutions of the primal subproblem, and as input to the primal subproblem we use the average of a part of all primal solutions of the dual subproblem. In this paper we give a new proof of convergence for this procedure. Previously convergence has only been shown for the application to a special separable case (which covers the Kornai-Liptak method), by showing equivalence to the Brown-Robinson method.     

Convergence and polynomiality of primal-dual interior-point algorithms for linear programming with selective addition of inequalities

This paper presents the convergence proof and complexity analysis of an interior-point framework that solves linear programming problems by dynamically selecting and adding relevant inequalities. First, we formulate a new primal–dual interior-point algorithm for solving linear programmes in non-standard form with equality and inequality constraints. The algorithm uses a primal–dual path-following predictor–corrector short-step interior-point method that starts with a reduced problem without any inequalities and selectively adds a given inequality only if it becomes active on the way to optimality. Second, we prove convergence of this algorithm to an optimal solution at which all inequalities are satisfied regardless of whether they have been added by the algorithm or not. We thus provide a theoretical foundation for similar schemes already used in practice. We also establish conditions under which the complexity of such algorithm is polynomial in the problem dimension and address remaining limitations without these conditions for possible further research.     

A primal interior point method for the linear semidefinite programming problem

The linear semidefinite programming problem is examined. A primal interior point method is proposed to solve this problem. It extends the barrier-projection method used for linear programs. The basic properties of the proposed method are discussed, and its local convergence is proved.