On Affine-Scaling Interior-Point Newton Methods for Nonlinear Minimization with Bound Constraints

A class of new affine-scaling interior-point Newton-type methods are considered for the solution of optimization problems with bound constraints. The methods are shown to be locally quadratically convergent under the strong second order sufficiency condition without assuming strict complementarity of the solution. The new methods differ from previous ones by Coleman and Li [Mathematical Programming, 67 (1994), pp. 189–224] and Heinkenschloss, Ulbrich, and Ulbrich [Mathematical Programming, 86 (1999), pp. 615–635] mainly in the choice of the scaling matrix. The scaling matrices used here have stronger smoothness properties and allow the application of standard results from non smooth analysis in order to obtain a relatively short and elegant local convergence result. An important tool for the definition of the new scaling matrices is the correct identification of the degenerate indices. Some illustrative numerical results with a comparison of the different scaling techniques are also included.     

Q-superlinear convergence of the iterates in primal-dual interior-point methods

Sufficient conditions are given for the Q-superlinear convergence of the iterates produced by primal-dual interior-point methods for linear complementarity problems. It is shown that those conditions are satisfied by several well known interior-point methods. In particular it is shown that the iteration sequences produced by the simplified predictor–corrector method of Gonzaga and Tapia, the simplified largest step method of Gonzaga and Bonnans, the LPF+ algorithm of Wright, the higher order methods of Wright and Zhang, Potra and Sheng, and Stoer, Wechs and Mizuno are Q-superlinearly convergent. Received: February 9, 2000 / Accepted: February 20, 2001?Published online May 3, 2001     

Structure of entropy solutions to the eikonal equation

In this paper, we establish rectifiability of the jump set of an S ¹–valued conservation law in two space–dimensions. This conservation law is a reformulation of the eikonal equation and is motivated by the singular limit of a class of variational problems. The only assumption on the weak solutions is that the entropy productions are (signed) Radon measures, an assumption which is justified by the variational origin. The methods are a combination of Geometric Measure Theory and elementary geometric arguments used to classify blow–ups.?The merit of our approach is that we obtain the structure as if the solutions were in BV, without using the BV–control, which is not available in these variationally motivated problems. Received June 24, 2002 / final version received November 12, 2002?Published online February 7, 2003     

On some interior-point algorithms for nonconvex quadratic optimization

 Recently, interior-point algorithms have been applied to nonlinear and nonconvex optimization. Most of these algorithms are either primal-dual path-following or affine-scaling in nature, and some of them are conjectured to converge to a local minimum. We give several examples to show that this may be untrue and we suggest some strategies for overcoming this difficulty. Received: June 26, 2000 / Accepted: April 2002 Published online: September 5, 2002 Key words. Nonconvex quadratic optimization – local minimum – interior-point algorithms – trust region – branch-and-cut This research is supported by the National Science Foundation Grant CCR-9731273 and DMS-9703490.     

Upper Lipschitz behavior of solutions to perturbed. C1,1 programs

We analyze the local upper Lipschitz behavior of critical points, stationary solutions and local minimizers to parametric C ^1,1 programs. In particular, we derive a characterization of this property for the stationary solution set map without assuming the Mangasarian–Fromovitz CQ. Moreover, conditions which also ensure the persistence of solvability are given, and the special case of linear constraints is handled. The present paper takes pattern from [21] by continuing the approach via contingent derivatives of the Kojima function associated with the given optimization problem. Received: June 10, 1999 / Accepted: November 15, 1999?Published online July 20, 2000     

Linear convergence of epsilon-subgradient descent methods for a class of convex functions

This paper establishes a linear convergence rate for a class of epsilon-subgradient descent methods for minimizing certain convex functions on ℝ ⁿ . Currently prominent methods belonging to this class include the resolvent (proximal point) method and the bundle method in proximal form (considered as a sequence of serious steps). Other methods, such as a variant of the proximal point method given by Correa and Lemaréchal, can also fit within this framework, depending on how they are implemented. The convex functions covered by the analysis are those whose conjugates have subdifferentials that are locally upper Lipschitzian at the origin, a property generalizing classical regularity conditions. Received March 29, 1996 / Revised version received March 5, 1999? Published online June 11, 1999     

Logarithmic SUMT limits in convex programming

The limits of a class of primal and dual solution trajectories associated with the Sequential Unconstrained Minimization Technique (SUMT) are investigated for convex programming problems with non-unique optima. Logarithmic barrier terms are assumed. For linear programming problems, such limits – of both primal and dual trajectories – are strongly optimal, strictly complementary, and can be characterized as analytic centers of, loosely speaking, optimality regions. Examples are given, which show that those results do not hold in general for convex programming problems. If the latter are weakly analytic (Bank et al. [3]), primal trajectory limits can be characterized in analogy to the linear programming case and without assuming differentiability. That class of programming problems contains faithfully convex, linear, and convex quadratic programming problems as strict subsets. In the differential case, dual trajectory limits can be characterized similarly, albeit under different conditions, one of which suffices for strict complementarity. Received: November 13, 1997 / Accepted: February 17, 1999?Published online February 22, 2001     

Forcing strong convergence of proximal point iterations in a Hilbert space

This paper concerns with convergence properties of the classical proximal point algorithm for finding zeroes of maximal monotone operators in an infinite-dimensional Hilbert space. It is well known that the proximal point algorithm converges weakly to a solution under very mild assumptions. However, it was shown by Güler [11] that the iterates may fail to converge strongly in the infinite-dimensional case. We propose a new proximal-type algorithm which does converge strongly, provided the problem has a solution. Moreover, our algorithm solves proximal point subproblems inexactly, with a constructive stopping criterion introduced in [31]. Strong convergence is forced by combining proximal point iterations with simple projection steps onto intersection of two halfspaces containing the solution set. Additional cost of this extra projection step is essentially negligible since it amounts, at most, to solving a linear system of two equations in two unknowns. Received January 6, 1998 / Revised version received August 9, 1999?Published online November 30, 1999     

Dual bounding procedures lead to convergent Branch–and–Bound algorithms

Branch–and–Bound methods with dual bounding procedures have recently been used to solve several continuous global optimization problems. We improve results on their convergence theory and give a condition that enables us to detect infeasible partition sets from the dual optimal value. Received: May 5, 1999 / Accepted: April 19, 2001?Published online September 17, 2001     

Survival and coexistence in stochastic spatial Lotka–Volterra models

A spatially explicit, stochastic Lotka–Volterra model was introduced by Neuhauser and Pacala in Neuhauser and Pacala (Ann. Appl. Probab. 9, 1226–1259, 1999). A low density limit theorem for this process was proved by the authors in Cox and Perkins (Ann. Probab. 33, 904–947, 2005), showing that certain generalized rescaled Lotka–Volterra models converge to super-Brownian motion with drift. Here we use this convergence result to extend what is known about the parameter regions for the Lotka–Volterra process where (i) survival of one type holds, and (ii) coexistence holds. Supported in part by an NSERC Research grant.