Solving optimal control problems for the unsteady Burgers equation in COMSOL Multiphysics

The optimal control of unsteady Burgers equation without constraints and with control constraints are solved using the high-level modelling and simulation package COMSOL Multiphysics. Using the first-order optimality conditions, projection and semi-smooth Newton methods are applied for solving the optimality system. The optimality system is solved numerically using the classical iterative approach by integrating the state equation forward in time and the adjoint equation backward in time using the gradient method and considering the optimality system in the space-time cylinder as an elliptic equation and solving it adaptively. The equivalence of the optimality system to the elliptic partial differential equation (PDE) is shown by transforming the Burgers equation by the Cole-Hopf transformation to a linear diffusion type equation. Numerical results obtained with adaptive and nonadaptive elliptic solvers of COMSOL Multiphysics are presented both for the unconstrained and the control constrained case.     

Modular solvers for image restoration problems using the discrepancy principle

Many problems in image restoration can be formulated as either an unconstrained non‐linear minimization problem, usually with a Tikhonov‐like regularization, where the regularization parameter has to be determined; or as a fully constrained problem, where an estimate of the noise level, either the variance or the signal‐to‐noise ratio, is available. The formulations are mathematically equivalent. However, in practice, it is much easier to develop algorithms for the unconstrained problem, and not always obvious how to adapt such methods to solve the corresponding constrained problem. In this paper, we present a new method which can make use of any existing convergent method for the unconstrained problem to solve the constrained one. The new method is based on a Newton iteration applied to an extended system of non‐linear equations, which couples the constraint and the regularized problem, but it does not require knowledge of the Jacobian of the irregularity functional. The existing solver is only used as a black box solver, which for a fixed regularization parameter returns an improved solution to the unconstrained minimization problem given an initial guess. The new modular solver enables us to easily solve the constrained image restoration problem; the solver automatically identifies the regularization parameter, during the iterative solution process. We present some numerical results. The results indicate that even in the worst case the constrained solver requires only about twice as much work as the unconstrained one, and in some instances the constrained solver can be even faster. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A proximal gradient descent method for the extended second-order cone linear complementarity problem

We consider an extended second-order cone linear complementarity problem (SOCLCP), including the generalized SOCLCP, the horizontal SOCLCP, the vertical SOCLCP, and the mixed SOCLCP as special cases. In this paper, we present some simple second-order cone constrained and unconstrained reformulation problems, and under mild conditions prove the equivalence between the stationary points of these optimization problems and the solutions of the extended SOCLCP. Particularly, we develop a proximal gradient descent method for solving the second-order cone constrained problems. This method is very simple and at each iteration makes only one Euclidean projection onto second-order cones. We establish global convergence and, under a local Lipschitzian error bound assumption, linear rate of convergence. Numerical comparisons are made with the limited-memory BFGS method for the unconstrained reformulations, which verify the effectiveness of the proposed method.     

Residual-based a posteriori error control for Space-time finite element approximations of parabolic optimal control problems

In this paper we investigate a space-time finite element approximation of parabolic optimal control problems. The first order optimality conditions are transformed into an elliptic equation of fourth order in space and second order in time involving only the state or the adjoint state in the space-time domain. We derive a priori and a posteriori error estimates for the time discretization of the state and the adjoint state. (© 2014 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Optimization methods for Dirichlet control problems

We discuss several optimization procedures to solve finite element approximations of linear-quadratic Dirichlet optimal control problems governed by an elliptic partial differential equation posed on a 2D or 3D Lipschitz domain. The control is discretized explicitly using continuous piecewise linear approximations. Unconstrained, control-constrained, state-constrained and control-and-state constrained problems are analysed. A preconditioned conjugate method for a reduced problem in the control variable is proposed to solve the unconstrained problem, whereas semismooth Newton methods are discussed for the solution of constrained problems. State constraints are treated via a Moreau–Yosida penalization. Convergence is studied for both the continuous problems and the finite dimensional approximations. In the finite dimensional case, we are able to show convergence of the optimization procedures even in the absence of Tikhonov regularization parameter. Computational aspects are also treated and several numerical examples are included to illustrate the theoretical results.     

An Estimation of Exact Penalty for Infinite-Dimensional Inequality-Constrained Minimization Problems

We use the penalty approach in order to study inequality-constrained minimization problems in infinite dimensional spaces. A penalty function is said to have the exact penalty property if there is a penalty coefficient for which a solution of an unconstrained penalized problem is a solution of the corresponding constrained problem. In this paper we consider a large class of inequality-constrained minimization problems for which a constraint is a mapping with values in a normed ordered space. For this class of problems we introduce a new type of penalty functions, establish the exact penalty property and obtain an estimation of the exact penalty. Using this exact penalty property we obtain necessary and sufficient optimality conditions for the constrained minimization problems.     

On one approach to a posteriori error estimates for evolution problems solved by the method of lines

Summary. In this paper, we describe a new technique for a posteriori error estimates suitable to parabolic and hyperbolic equations solved by the method of lines. One of our goals is to apply known estimates derived for elliptic problems to evolution equations. We apply the new technique to three distinct problems: a general nonlinear parabolic problem with a strongly monotonic elliptic operator, a linear nonstationary convection-diffusion problem, and a linear second order hyperbolic problem. The error is measured with the aid of the -norm in the space-time cylinder combined with a special time-weighted energy norm. Theory as well as computational results are presented. Received September 2, 1999 / Revised version received March 6, 2000 / Published online March 20, 2001     

Adaptive optimal control of Signorini’s problem

In this article, we present a-posteriori error estimations in context of optimal control of contact problems; in particular of Signorini’s problem. Due to the contact side-condition, the solution operator of the underlying variational inequality is not differentiable, yet we want to apply Newton’s method. Therefore, the non-smooth problem is regularized by penalization and afterwards discretized by finite elements. We derive optimality systems for the regularized formulation in the continuous as well as in the discrete case. This is done explicitly for Signorini’s contact problem, which covers linear elasticity and linearized surface contact conditions. The latter creates the need for treating trace-operations carefully, especially in contrast to obstacle contact conditions, which exert in the domain. Based on the dual weighted residual method and these optimality systems, we deduce error representations for the regularization, discretization and numerical errors. Those representations are further developed into error estimators. The resulting error estimator for regularization error is defined only in the contact area. Therefore its computational cost is especially low for Signorini’s contact problem. Finally, we utilize the estimators in an adaptive refinement strategy balancing regularization and discretization errors. Numerical results substantiate the theoretical findings. We present different examples concerning Signorini’s problem in two and three dimensions.     

Control of Cauchy system for an elliptic operator

The control of a Cauchy system for an elliptic operator seems to be globally an open problem. In this paper, we analyze this problem using a regularization method which consists in viewing a singular problem as a limit of a family of well-posed problems. Following this analysis and assuming that the interior of considered convex is non-empty, we obtain a singular optimality system （S.O.S.） for the considered control problem.     

Several approaches for the derivation of stationarity conditions for elliptic MPECs with upper-level control constraints

The derivation of multiplier-based optimality conditions for elliptic mathematical programs with equilibrium constraints (MPEC) is essential for the characterization of solutions and development of numerical methods. Though much can be said for broad classes of elliptic MPECs in both polyhedric and non-polyhedric settings, the calculation becomes significantly more complicated when additional constraints are imposed on the control. In this paper we develop three derivation methods for constrained MPEC problems: via concepts from variational analysis, via penalization of the control constraints, and via penalization of the lower-level problem with the subsequent regularization of the resulting nonsmoothness. The developed methods and obtained results are then compared and contrasted.     

椭圆最优控制问题分裂正定混合有限元方法的超收敛性分析

首先利用变分原理和最优化理论得到了原问题的等价最优性条件;其次构造了椭圆最优控制问题分裂正定混合有限元方法的逼近格式;再次通过引入一些重要的中间变量和投影算子,并利用投影算子的相关性质,结合分裂正定混合有限元本身的逼近结果,得到了椭圆最优控制问题分裂正定混合有限元方法的超收敛性;最后数值实验结果验证了所得理论结果的正确性.     

Regularization for semilinear elliptic optimal control problems with pointwise state and control constraints

In this paper a class of semilinear elliptic optimal control problem with pointwise state and control constraints is studied. We show that sufficient second order optimality conditions for regularized problems with small regularization parameter can be obtained from a second order sufficient condition assumed for the unregularized problem. Moreover, error estimates with respect to the regularization parameter are derived.     

Optimal boundary control of glass cooling processes

In this paper, an optimal control problem for glass cooling processes is studied. We model glass cooling using the SP1 approximations to the radiative heat transfer equations. The control variable is the temperature at the boundary of the domain. This results in a boundary control problem for a parabolic/elliptic system which is treated by a constrained optimization approach. We consider several cost functionals of tracking‐type and formally derive the first‐order optimality system. Several numerical methods based on the adjoint variables are investigated. We present results of numerical simulations illustrating the feasibility and performance of the different approaches. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Verification of Second-Order Sufficient Optimality Conditions for Semilinear Elliptic and Parabolic Control Problems

We study optimal control problems for semilinear parabolic equations subject to control constraints and for semilinear elliptic equations subject to control and state constraints. We quote known second-order sufficient optimality conditions (SSC) from the literature. Both problem classes, the parabolic one with boundary control and the elliptic one with boundary or distributed control, are discretized by a finite difference method. The discrete SSC are stated and numerically verified in all cases providing an indication of optimality where only necessary conditions had been studied before.     

Optimality conditions for reflecting boundary control problems

We consider a control problem with reflecting boundary and obtain necessary optimality conditions in the form of the maximum Pontryagin principle. To derive these results we transform the constrained problem in an unconstrained one or we use penalization techniques of Morreau-Yosida type to approach the original problem by a sequence of optimal control problems with Lipschitz dynamics. Then nonsmooth analysis theory is used to study the convergence of the penalization in order to obtain optimality conditions.     

A New Conical Regularization for Some Optimization and Optimal Control Problems: Convergence Analysis and Finite Element Discretization

In this article, we study an abstract constrained optimization problem that appears commonly in the optimal control of linear partial differential equations. The main emphasis of the present study is on the case when the ordering cone for the optimization problem has an empty interior. To circumvent this major difficulty, we propose a new conical regularization approach in which the main idea is to replace the ordering cone by a family of dilating cones. We devise a general regularization approach and use it to give a detailed convergence analysis for the conical regularization as well as a related regularization approach. We showed that the conical regularization approach leads to a family of optimization problems that admit regular multipliers. The approach remains valid in the setting of general Hilbert spaces and it does not require any sort of compactness or positivity condition on the operators involved. One of the main advantages of the approach is that it is amenable for numerical computations. We consider four different examples, two of them elliptic control problems with state constraints, and present numerical results that completely support our theoretical results and confirm the numerical feasibility of our approach. The motivation for the conical regularization is to overcome the difficulties associated with the lack of Slater's type constraint qualification, which is a common hurdle in numerous branches of applied mathematics including optimal control, inverse problems, vector optimization, set-valued optimization, sensitivity analysis, variational inequalities, among others.     

Optimal control in nonlinear infinite-dimensional systems with nondifferentiability of two types

We consider the optimal control problem for systems described by nonlinear equations of elliptic type. If the nonlinear term in the equation is smooth and the nonlinearity increases at a comparatively low rate of growth, then necessary conditions for optimality can be obtained by well-known methods. For small values of the nonlinearity exponent in the smooth case, we propose to approximate the state operator by a certain differentiable operator. We show that the solution of the approximate problem obtained by standard methods ensures that the optimality criterion for the initial problem is close to its minimal value. For sufficiently large values of the nonlinearity exponent, the dependence of the state function on the control is nondifferentiable even under smoothness conditions for the operator. But this dependence becomes differentiable in a certain extended sense, which is sufficient for obtaining necessary conditions for optimality. Finally, if there is no smoothness and no restrictions are imposed on the nonlinearity exponent of the equation, then a smooth approximation of the state operator is possible. Next, we obtain necessary conditions for optimality of the approximate problem using the notion of extended differentiability of the solution of the equation approximated with respect to the control, and then we show that the optimal control of the approximated extremum problem minimizes the original functional with arbitrary accuracy.     

Monotone schemes for a class of nonlinear elliptic and parabolic problems

We construct monotone numerical schemes for a class of nonlinear PDE for elliptic and initial value problems for parabolic problems. The elliptic part is closely connected to a linear elliptic operator, which we discretize by monotone schemes, and solve the nonlinear problem by iteration. We assume that the elliptic differential operator is in the divergence form, with measurable coefficients satisfying the strict ellipticity condition, and that the right-hand side is a positive Radon measure. The numerical schemes are not derived from finite difference operators approximating differential operators, but rather from a general principle which ensures the convergence of approximate solutions. The main feature of these schemes is that they possess stencils stretching far from basic grid-rectangles, thus leading to system matrices which are related to M-matrices.     

Distributed optimal control of the viscous Burgers equation via a Legendre pseudo‐spectral approach

This paper presents a computational technique based on the pseudo‐spectral method for the solution of distributed optimal control problem for the viscous Burgers equation. By using pseudo‐spectral method, the problem is converted to a classical optimal control problem governed by a system of ordinary differential equations, which can be solved by well‐developed direct or indirect methods. For solving the resulting optimal control problem, we present an indirect method by deriving and numerically solving the first‐order optimality conditions. Numerical tests involving both unconstrained and constrained control problems are considered. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Multigrid Solution of a Lavrentiev-Regularized State-Constrained Parabolic Control Problem

A mesh-independent, robust, and accurate multigrid scheme to solve a linear state-constrained parabolic optimal control problem is presented. We first consider a Lavrentiev regularization of the state-constrained optimization problem. Then, a multigrid scheme is designed for the numerical solution of the regularized optimality system. Central to this scheme is the construction of an iterative pointwise smoother which can be formulated as a local semismooth Newton iteration. Results of numerical experiments and theoretical two-grid local Fourier analysis estimates demonstrate that the proposed scheme is able to solve parabolic state-constrained optimality systems with textbook multigrid efficiency.