Filled function method for nonlinear equations

AbstractSystems of nonlinear equations are ubiquitous in engineering, physics and mechanics, and have myriad applications. Generally, they are very difficult to solve. In this paper, we will present a filled function method to solve nonlinear systems. We will first convert the nonlinear systems into equivalent global optimization problems with the property: x∗ is a global minimizer if and only if its function value is zero. A filled function method is proposed to solve the converted global optimization problem. Numerical examples are presented to illustrate our new techniques

Modified T-F Function Method for Finding Global Minimizer on Unconstrained Optimization

This paper indicates that the filled function which appeared in one of the papers by Y. L. Shang et al. (2007) is also a tunneling function; that is, we prove that under some general assumptions this function has the characters of both tunneling function and filled function. A solution algorithm based on this T-F function is given and numerical tests from test functions show that our T-F function method is very effective in finding better minima

Solving one-dimensional unconstrained global optimization problem using parameter free filled function method

It is generally known that almost all filled function methods for one-dimensional unconstrained global optimization problems have computational weaknesses. This paper introduces a relatively new parameter free filled function, which creates a non-ascending bridge from any local isolated minimizer to other first local isolated minimizer with lower or equal function value. The algorithm’s unprecedented function can be used to determine all extreme and inflection points between the two considered consecutive local isolated minimizers. The proposed method never fails to carry out its job. The results of the several testing examples have shown the capability and efficiency of this algorithm while at the same time, proving that the computational weaknesses of the filled function methods can be overcomed

Global Minimization of Nonsmooth Constrained Global Optimization with Filled Function

A novel filled function is constructed to locate a global optimizer or an approximate global optimizer of smooth or nonsmooth constrained global minimization problems. The constructed filled function contains only one parameter which can be easily adjusted during the minimization. The theoretical properties of the filled function are discussed and a corresponding solution algorithm is proposed. The solution algorithm comprises two phases: local minimization and filling. The first phase minimizes the original problem and obtains one of its local optimizers, while the second phase minimizes the constructed filled function and identifies a better initial point for the first phase. Some preliminary numerical results are also reported

Finding Global Minima with a Filled Function Approach for Non-Smooth Global Optimization

A filled function approach is proposed for solving a non-smooth unconstrained global optimization problem. First, the definition of filled function in Zhang (2009) for smooth global optimization is extended to non-smooth case and a new one is put forwarded. Then, a novel filled function is proposed for non-smooth the global optimization and a corresponding non-smooth algorithm based on the filled function is designed. At last, a numerical test is made. The computational results demonstrate that the proposed approach is effcient and reliable

Global optimality conditions and optimization methods for polynomial programming problems and their applications

The polynomial programming problem which has a polynomial objective function, either with no constraints or with polynomial constraints occurs frequently in engineering design, investment science, control theory, network distribution, signal processing and locationallocation contexts. Moreover, the polynomial programming problem is known to be Nondeterministic Polynomial-time hard (NP-hard). The polynomial programming problem has attracted a lot of attention, including quadratic, cubic, homogenous or normal quartic programming problems as special cases. Existing methods for solving polynomial programming problems include algebraic methods and various convex relaxation methods. Especially, among these methods, semidefinite programming (SDP) and sum of squares (SOS) relaxations are very popular. Theoretically, SDP and SOS relaxation methods are very powerful and successful in solving the general polynomial programming problem with a compact feasible region. However, the solvability in practice depends on the size or the degree of the polynomial programming problem and the required accuracy. Hence, solving large scale SDP problems still remains a computational challenge. It is well-known that traditional local optimization methods are designed based on necessary local optimality conditions, i.e., Karush-Kuhn-Tucker (KKT) conditions. Motivated by this, some researchers proposed a necessary global optimality condition for a quadratic programming problem and designed a new local optimization method according to the necessary global optimality condition. In this thesis, we try to apply this idea to cubic and quatic programming problems, and further to general unconstrained and constrained polynomial programming problems. For these polynomial programming problems, we will investigate necessary global optimality conditions and design new local optimization methods according to these conditions. These necessary global optimality conditions are generally stronger than KKT conditions. Hence, the obtained new local minimizers by using the new local optimization methods may improve some KKT points. Our ultimate aim is to design global optimization methods for these polynomial programming problems. We notice that the filled function method is one of the well-known and practical auxiliary function methods used to achieve a global minimizer. In this thesis, we design global optimization methods by combining the new proposed local optimization methods and some auxiliary functions. The numerical examples illustrate the efficiency and stability of the optimization methods. Finally, we discuss some applications for solving some sensor network localization problems and systems of polynomial equations. It is worth mentioning that we apply the idea and the results for polynomial programming problems to nonlinear programming problems (NLP). We provide an optimality condition and design new local optimization methods according to the optimality condition and design global optimization methods for the problem (NLP) by combining the new local optimization methods and an auxiliary function. In order to test the performance of the global optimization methods, we compare them with two other heuristic methods. The results demonstrate our methods outperform the two other algorithms.Doctor of Philosoph