27,089 research outputs found
A Riemannian low-rank method for optimization over semidefinite matrices with block-diagonal constraints
We propose a new algorithm to solve optimization problems of the form for a smooth function under the constraints that is positive
semidefinite and the diagonal blocks of are small identity matrices. Such
problems often arise as the result of relaxing a rank constraint (lifting). In
particular, many estimation tasks involving phases, rotations, orthonormal
bases or permutations fit in this framework, and so do certain relaxations of
combinatorial problems such as Max-Cut. The proposed algorithm exploits the
facts that (1) such formulations admit low-rank solutions, and (2) their
rank-restricted versions are smooth optimization problems on a Riemannian
manifold. Combining insights from both the Riemannian and the convex geometries
of the problem, we characterize when second-order critical points of the smooth
problem reveal KKT points of the semidefinite problem. We compare against state
of the art, mature software and find that, on certain interesting problem
instances, what we call the staircase method is orders of magnitude faster, is
more accurate and scales better. Code is available.Comment: 37 pages, 3 figure
Approximation with Random Bases: Pro et Contra
In this work we discuss the problem of selecting suitable approximators from
families of parameterized elementary functions that are known to be dense in a
Hilbert space of functions. We consider and analyze published procedures, both
randomized and deterministic, for selecting elements from these families that
have been shown to ensure the rate of convergence in norm of order
, where is the number of elements. We show that both randomized and
deterministic procedures are successful if additional information about the
families of functions to be approximated is provided. In the absence of such
additional information one may observe exponential growth of the number of
terms needed to approximate the function and/or extreme sensitivity of the
outcome of the approximation to parameters. Implications of our analysis for
applications of neural networks in modeling and control are illustrated with
examples.Comment: arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:0905.067
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