Discretization methods for the solution of semi-infinite programming problems

In the first part of this paper, we prove the convergence of a class of discretization methods for the solution of nonlinear semi-infinite programming problems, which includes known methods for linear problems as special cases. In the second part, we modify and study this type of algorithms for linear problems and suggest a specific method which requires the solution of a quadratic programming problem at each iteration. With this algorithm, satisfactory results can also be obtained for a number of singular problems. We demonstrate the performance of the algorithm by several numerical examples of multivariate Chebyshev approximation problems.     

A New Quadratic Semi-infinite Programming Algorithm Based on Dual Parametrization

The so called dual parameterization method for quadratic semi-infinite programming (SIP) problems is developed recently. A dual parameterization algorithm is also proposed for numerical solution of such problems. In this paper, we present and improved adaptive algorithm for quadratic SIP problems with positive definite objective and multiple linear infinite constraints. In each iteration of the new algorithm, only a quadratic programming problem with a limited dimension and a limited number of constraints is required to be solved. Furthermore, convergence result is given. The efficiency of the new algorithm is shown by solving a number of numerical examples.     

A sequential quadratic programming with a dual parametrization approach to nonlinear semi-infinite programming

In the sequel of the work reported in Liu et al. (1999), in which a method based on a dual parametrization is used to solve linear-quadratic semi-infinite programming (SIP) problems, a sequential quadratic programming technique is proposed to solve nonlinear SIP problems. A merit function to measure progress toward the solution and a procedure to compute the penalty parameter are also proposed.     

A direct method of linearization for continuous minimax problems

We consider the problem of minimizing a nondifferentiable function that is the pointwise maximum over a compact family of continuously differentiable functions. We suppose that a certain convex approximation to the objective function can be evaluated. An iterative method is given which uses as successive search directions approximate solutions of semi-infinite quadratic programming problems calculated via a new generalized proximity algorithm. Inexact line searches ensure global convergence of the method to stationary points.This work was supported by Project No. CPBP-02.15/2.1.1.     

A Dual Parametrization Method for Convex Semi-Infinite Programming

We formulate convex semi-infinite programming problems in a functional analytic setting and derive optimality conditions and several duality results, based on which we develop a computational framework for solving convex semi-infinite programs.     

半无限规划离散化问题一个两阶段序列二次规划算法

本文研究了求解半无限规划离散化问题(P)的一个新的算法.利用序列二次规划(SQP)两阶段方法和约束指标集的修正技术,提出了求解(P)的一个两阶段SQP算法.算法结构简单,搜索方向的计算成本较低.在适当的条件下,证明了算法具有全局收敛性.数值试验结果表明算法是有效的.推广了文献[4]中求解(P)的算法.     

An Approximation Approach to Non-strictly Convex Quadratic Semi-infinite Programming

We present in this paper a numerical method for solving non-strictly-convex quadratic semi-infinite programming including linear semi-infinite programming. The proposed method transforms the problem into a series of strictly convex quadratic semi-infinite programming problems. Several convergence results and a numerical experiment are given.     

Global Convergence of a Robust Smoothing SQP Method for Semi-Infinite Programming

The semi-infinite programming (SIP) problem is a program with infinitely many constraints. It can be reformulated as a nonsmooth nonlinear programming problem with finite constraints by using an integral function. Due to the nondifferentiability of the integral function, gradient-based algorithms cannot be used to solve this nonsmooth nonlinear programming problem. To overcome this difficulty, we present a robust smoothing sequential quadratic programming (SQP) algorithm for solving the nonsmooth nonlinear programming problem. At each iteration of the algorthm, we need to solve only a quadratic program that is always feasible and solvable. The global convergence of the algorithm is established under mild conditions. Numerical results are given. Communicated by F. Giannessi His work was supported by the Hong Kong Research Grant Council His work was supported by the Australian Research Council.     

Posynomial geometric programming as a special case of semi-infinite linear programming

This paper develops a wholly linear formulation of the posynomial geometric programming problem. It is shown that the primal geometric programming problem is equivalent to a semi-infinite linear program, and the dual problem is equivalent to a generalized linear program. Furthermore, the duality results that are available for the traditionally defined primal-dual pair are readily obtained from the duality theory for semi-infinite linear programs. It is also shown that two efficient algorithms (one primal based and the other dual based) for geometric programming actually operate on the semi-infinite linear program and its dual.     

广义半无限规划问题的一种可行方向算法

基于Zoutendijk可行方向算法,本文提出了一种求解广义半无限规划问题的可行方向算法,在保证算法收敛的情况下,此算法比以往的算法在假设条件的要求上有着一定的优势,且数值试验表明此法是可行的.     

Semi-Infinite Programming Approach to Continuously-Constrained Linear-Quadratic Optimal Control Problems

Consider the class of linear-quadratic (LQ) optimal control problems with continuous linear state constraints, that is, constraints imposed on every instant of the time horizon. This class of problems is known to be difficult to solve numerically. In this paper, a computational method based on a semi-infinite programming approach is given. The LQ optimal control problem is formulated as a positive-quadratic infinite programming problem. This can be done by considering the control as the decision variable, while taking the state as a function of the control. After parametrizing the decision variable, an approximate quadratic semi-infinite programming problem is obtained. It is shown that, as we refine the parametrization, the solution sequence of the approximate problems converges to the solution of the infinite programming problem (hence, to the solution of the original optimal control problem). Numerically, the semi-infinite programming problems obtained above can be solved efficiently using an algorithm based on a dual parametrization method.     

一类广义半无限规划问题的一阶最优性条件

本文利用一个精确增广Lagrange函数研究了一类广义半无限极小极大规划问题。在一定的条件下将其转化为标准的半无限极小极大规划问题。研究了这两类问题的最优解和最优值之间的关系,利用这种关系和标准半无限极小极大规划问题的一阶最优性条件给出了这类广义半无限极小极大规划问题的一个新的一阶最优性条件。     

A reduction method for semi-infinite programming by means of a global stochastic approach†

We describe a reduction algorithm for solving semi-infinite programming problems. The proposed algorithm uses the simulated annealing method equipped with a function stretching as a multi-local procedure, and a penalty technique for the finite optimization process. An exponential penalty merit function is reduced along each search direction to ensure convergence from any starting point. Our preliminary numerical results seem to show that the algorithm is very promising in practice.     

半局部凸多目标半无限规划的最优性

研究半局部凸函数在多目标半无限规划下的最优性.利用半局部凸函数,讨论了在多目标半无限规划下的择一定理,最优性条件.使半局部凸函数运用的范围更加广泛.     

Extending the mixed algebraic-analysis Fourier–Motzkin elimination method for classifying linear semi-infinite programmes

Motivated by a recent Basu–Martin–Ryan paper, we obtain a reduced primal-dual pair of a linear semi-infinite programming problem by applying an amended Fourier–Motzkin elimination method to the linear semi-infinite inequality system. The reduced primal-dual pair is equivalent to the original one in terms of consistency, optimal values and asymptotic consistency. Working with this reduced pair and reformulating a linear semi-infinite programme as a linear programme over a convex cone, we reproduce all the theorems that lead to the full eleven possible duality state classification theory. Establishing classification results with the Fourier–Motzkin method means that the two classification theorems for linear semi-infinite programming, 1969 and 1974, have been proved by new and exciting methods. We also show in this paper that the approach to study linear semi-infinite programming using Fourier–Motzkin elimination is not purely algebraic, it is mixed algebraic-analysis.     

A multi-local optimization algorithm

The development of efficient algorithms that provide all the local minima of a function is crucial to solve certain subproblems in many optimization methods. A “multi-local” optimization procedure using inexact line searches is presented, and numerical experiments are also reported. An application of the method to a semi-infinite programming procedure is included. This work was partially supported by Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia, Spain, DGICYT grant PB93-0703. Author (*) was supported by the Consellería d'Educació i Ciència of the Generalitat Valenciana.     

A discretization method for systems of linear inequalities

We investigate a method for approximating a convex domainCR ⁿ described by a (possibly infinite) set of linear inequalities. In contrast to other methods, the approximating domains (polyhedrons) lie insideC. We discuss applications to semi-infinite programming and present numerical examples.The paper was written at the Institut für Angewandte Mathematik, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, West Germany. The author thanks Prof. U. Eckhardt, Dr. K. Roleff, and Prof. B. Werner for helpful discussions.     

Asymptotic optimality conditions for linear semi-infinite programming

In this paper, the classical KKT, complementarity and Lagrangian saddle-point conditions are generalized to obtain equivalent conditions characterizing the optimality of a feasible solution to a general linear semi-infinite programming problem without constraint qualifications. The method of this paper differs from the usual convex analysis methods and its main idea is rooted in some fundamental properties of linear programming.     

Numerical treatment of an asset price model with non-stochastic uncertainty

In contrast to stochastic differential equation models used for the calculation of the term structure of interest rates, we develop an approach based on linear dynamical systems under non-stochastic uncertainty with perturbations. The uncertainty is described in terms of known feasible sets of varying parameters. Observations are used in order to estimate these parameters by minimizing the maximum of the absolute value of measurement errors, which leads to a linear or nonlinear semi-infinite programming problem. A regularized logarithmic barrier method for solving (ill-posed) convex semi-infinite programming problems is suggested. In this method a multi-step proximal regularization is coupled with an adaptive discretization strategy in the framework of an interior point approach. A special deleting rule permits one to use only a part of the constraints of the discretized problems. Convergence of the method and its stability with respect to data perturbations in the cone of convexC ¹-functions are studied. On the basis of the solutions of the semi-infinite programming problems a technical trading system for future contracts of the German DAX is suggested and developed. Supported by the Stiftung Rheinland/Pfalz für Innovation, No. 8312-386261/307.