Nonsmooth and derivative-free optimization based hybrid methods and applications

"In this thesis, we develop hybrid methods for solving global and in particular, nonsmooth optimization problems. Hybrid methods are becoming more popular in global optimization since they allow to apply powerful smooth optimization techniques to solve global optimization problems. Such methods are able to efficiently solve global optimization problems with large number of variables. To date global search algorithms have been mainly applied to improve global search properties of the local search methods (including smooth optimization algorithms). In this thesis we apply rather different strategy to design hybrid methods. We use local search algorithms to improve the efficiency of global search methods. The thesis consists of two parts. In the first part we describe hybrid algorithms and in the second part we consider their various applications." -- taken from Abstract.Operational Research and Cybernetic

Randomized Algorithms for Nonconvex Nonsmooth Optimization

Nonsmooth optimization problems arise in a variety of applications including robust control, robust optimization, eigenvalue optimization, compressed sensing, and decomposition methods for large-scale or complex optimization problems. When convexity is present, such problems are relatively easier to solve. Optimization methods for convex nonsmooth optimization have been studied for decades. For example, bundle methods are a leading technique for convex nonsmooth minimization. However, these and other methods that have been developed for solving convex problems are either inapplicable or can be inefficient when applied to solve nonconvex problems. The motivation of the work in this thesis is to design robust and efficient algorithms for solving nonsmooth optimization problems, particularly when nonconvexity is present.First, we propose an adaptive gradient sampling (AGS) algorithm, which is based on a recently developed technique known as the gradient sampling (GS) algorithm. Our AGS algorithm improves the computational efficiency of GS in critical ways. Then, we propose a BFGS gradient sampling (BFGS-GS) algorithm, which is a hybrid between a standard Broyden-Fletcher-Goldfarb-Shanno (BFGS) and the GS method. Our BFGS-GS algorithm is more efficient than our previously proposed AGS algorithm and also competitive with (and in some ways outperforms) other contemporary solvers for nonsmooth nonconvex optimization. Finally, we propose a few additional extensions of the GS framework---one in which we merge GS ideas with those from bundle methods, one in which we incorporate smoothing techniques in order to minimize potentially non-Lipschitz objective functions, and one in which we tailor GS methods for solving regularization problems. We describe all the proposed algorithms in detail. In addition, for all the algorithm variants, we prove global convergence guarantees under suitable assumptions. Moreover, we perform numerical experiments to illustrate the efficiency of our algorithms. The test problems considered in our experiments include academic test problems as well as practical problems that arise in applications of nonsmooth optimization

Técnicas amostrais para otimização não suave

Orientadores: Sandra Augusta Santos, Elias Salomão Helou NetoTese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Matemática Estatística e Computação CientíficaResumo: O método amostral de gradientes (GS) é um algoritmo recentemente desenvolvido para resolver problemas de otimização não suave. Fazendo uso de informações de primeira ordem da função objetivo, este método generaliza o método de máxima descida, um dos clássicos algoritmos para minimização de funções suaves. Este estudo tem como objetivo desenvolver e explorar diferentes métodos amostrais para a otimização numérica de funções não suaves. Inicialmente, provamos que é possível ter uma convergência global para o método GS na ausência do procedimento chamado "teste de diferenciabilidade". Posteriormente, apresentamos condições que devem ser esperadas para a obtenção de uma taxa de convergência local linear do método GS. Finalmente, um novo método amostral com convergência local superlinear é apresentado, o qual se baseia não somente no cálculo de gradientes, mas também nos valores da função objetivo nos pontos sorteadosAbstract: The Gradient Sampling (GS) method is a recently developed tool for solving unconstrained nonsmooth optimization problems. Using just first order information of the objective function, it generalizes the steepest descent method, one of the most classical methods for minimizing a smooth function. This study aims at developing and exploring different sampling algorithms for the numerical optimization of nonsmooth functions. First, we prove that it is possible to have a global convergence result for the GS method in the abscence of the differentiability check procedure. Second, we prove in which circumstances one can expect the GS method to have a linear convergence rate. Lastly, a new sampling algorithm with superlinear convergence is presented, which rests not only upon the gradient but also on the objective function value at the sampled pointsDoutoradoMatematica AplicadaDoutor em Matemática Aplicada2013/14615-7CAPESFAPES

Practical polynomial optimization through positivity certificates with and without denominators

Les certificats de positivité ou Positivstellens"atze fournissent des représentations de polynômes positifs sur des ensembles semialgébriques de basiques, c'est-à-dire des ensembles définis par un nombre fini d'inégalités polynomiales. Le célèbre Positivstellensatz de Putinar stipule que tout polynôme positif sur un ensemble semialgébrique basique fermé $S$ peut être écrit comme une combinaison pondérée linéaire des polynômes décrivant $S$, sous une certaine condition sur $S$ légèrement plus forte que la compacité. Lorsqu'il est écrit comme ceci, il devient évident que le polynôme est positif sur $S$, et donc cette description alternative fournit un certificat de positivité sur $S$. De plus, comme les poids polynomiaux impliqués dans le Positivstellensatz de Putinar sont des sommes de carrés (SOS), de tels certificats de positivité permettent de concevoir des relaxations convexes basées sur la programmation semidéfinie pour résoudre des problèmes d'optimisation polynomiale (POP) qui surviennent dans diverses applications réelles, par exemple dans la gestion des réseaux d'énergie et l'apprentissage automatique pour n'en citer que quelques unes. Développée à l'origine par Lasserre, la hiérarchie des relaxations semidéfinies basée sur le Positivstellensatz de Putinar est appelée la emph{hiérarchie Moment-SOS}. Dans cette thèse, nous proposons des méthodes d'optimisation polynomiale basées sur des certificats de positivité impliquant des poids SOS spécifiques, sans ou avec dénominateurs.Positivity certificates or Positivstellens"atze provide representations of polynomials positive on basic semialgebraic sets, i.e., sets defined by finitely many polynomial inequalities. The famous Putinar's Positivstellensatz states that every positive polynomial on a basic closed semialgebraic set $S$ can be written as a linear weighted combination of the polynomials describing $S$, under a certain condition on $S$ slightly stronger than compactness. When written in this it becomes obvious that the polynomial is positive on $S$, and therefore this alternative description provides a certificate of positivity on $S$. Moreover, as the polynomial weights involved in Putinar's Positivstellensatz are sums of squares (SOS), such Positivity certificates enable to design convex relaxations based on semidefinite programming to solve polynomial optimization problems (POPs) that arise in various real-life applications, e.g., in management of energy networks and machine learning to cite a few. Originally developed by Lasserre, the hierarchy of semidefinite relaxations based on Putinar's Positivstellensatz is called the emph{Moment-SOS hierarchy}. In this thesis, we provide polynomial optimization methods based on positivity certificates involving specific SOS weights, without or with denominators