Self-scaled barriers for irreducible symmetric cones

Self-scaled barrier functions are fundamental objects in the theory of interior-point methods for linear optimization over symmetric cones, of which linear and semidefinite programming are special cases. We are classifying all self-scaled barriers over irreducible symmetric cones and show that these functions are merely homothetic transformations of the universal barrier function. Together with a decomposition theorem for self-scaled barriers this concludes the algebraic classification theory of these functions. After introducing the reader to the concepts relevant to the problem and tracing the history of the subject, we start by deriving our result from first principles in the important special case of semidefinite programming. We then generalise these arguments to irreducible symmetric cones by invoking results from the theory of Euclidean Jordan algebras.Comment: 12 page

Self-scaled barrier functions on symmetric cones and their classification

Self-scaled barrier functions on self-scaled cones were introduced through a set of axioms in 1994 by Y.E. Nesterov and M.J. Todd as a tool for the construction of long-step interior point algorithms. This paper provides firm foundation for these objects by exhibiting their symmetry properties, their intimate ties with the symmetry groups of their domains of definition, and subsequently their decomposition into irreducible parts and algebraic classification theory. In a first part we recall the characterisation of the family of self-scaled cones as the set of symmetric cones and develop a primal-dual symmetric viewpoint on self-scaled barriers, results that were first discovered by the second author. We then show in a short, simple proof that any pointed, convex cone decomposes into a direct sum of irreducible components in a unique way, a result which can also be of independent interest. We then show that any self-scaled barrier function decomposes in an essentially unique way into a direct sum of self-scaled barriers defined on the irreducible components of the underlying symmetric cone. Finally, we present a complete algebraic classification of self-scaled barrier functions using the correspondence between symmetric cones and Euclidean Jordan algebras.Comment: 17 page

Interior-point algorithms for convex optimization based on primal-dual metrics

We propose and analyse primal-dual interior-point algorithms for convex optimization problems in conic form. The families of algorithms we analyse are so-called short-step algorithms and they match the current best iteration complexity bounds for primal-dual symmetric interior-point algorithm of Nesterov and Todd, for symmetric cone programming problems with given self-scaled barriers. Our results apply to any self-concordant barrier for any convex cone. We also prove that certain specializations of our algorithms to hyperbolic cone programming problems (which lie strictly between symmetric cone programming and general convex optimization problems in terms of generality) can take advantage of the favourable special structure of hyperbolic barriers. We make new connections to Riemannian geometry, integrals over operator spaces, Gaussian quadrature, and strengthen the connection of our algorithms to quasi-Newton updates and hence first-order methods in general.Comment: 36 page

Solving symmetric matrix word equations via symmetric space machinery

It has recently been proved by Hillar and Johnson [C.J. Hillar, C.R. Johnson, Symmetric word equations in two positive definite letters, Proc. Amer. Math. Soc. 132 (2004) 945-953] that every symmetric word equation in positive definite matrices has a positive definite solution (existence theorem). In this paper we partially solve the uniqueness conjecture via the symmetric space and non-positive curvature machinery existing in the open convex cone of positive definite matrices. Unique positive definite solutions are obtained in terms of geometric and weighted means and as fixed points of explicit strict contractions on the cone of positive definite matrices. © 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

An Algorithm for Nonsymmetric Conic Optimization Inspired by MOSEK

We analyze the scaling matrix, search direction, and neighborhood used in MOSEK's algorithm for nonsymmetric conic optimization [Dahl and Andersen, 2019]. It is proven that these can be used to compute a near-optimal solution to the homogeneous self-dual model in polynomial time.Comment: 29 page

Full Newton Step Interior Point Method for Linear Complementarity Problem Over Symmetric Cones

In this thesis, we present a new Feasible Interior-Point Method (IPM) for Linear Complementarity Problem (LPC) over Symmetric Cones. The advantage of this method lies in that it uses full Newton-steps, thus, avoiding the calculation of the step size at each iteration. By suitable choice of parameters we prove the global convergence of iterates which always stay in the the central path neighborhood. A global convergence of the method is proved and an upper bound for the number of iterations necessary to find ε-approximate solution of the problem is presented

Real Algebraic Geometry With a View Toward Moment Problems and Optimization

Continuing the tradition initiated in MFO workshop held in 2014, the aim of this workshop was to foster the interaction between real algebraic geometry, operator theory, optimization, and algorithms for systems control. A particular emphasis was given to moment problems through an interesting dialogue between researchers working on these problems in finite and infinite dimensional settings, from which emerged new challenges and interdisciplinary applications