Abstract not found

We propose a new interior point based method to minimize a linear function of a matrix variable subject to linear equality and inequality constraints over the set of positive semidefinite matrices. We show that the approach is very efficient for graph bisection problems, such as max-cut. Other applications include max-min eigenvalue problems and relaxations for the stable set problem.

Optimization problems involving the eigenvalues of symmetric and nonsymmetric matrices present a fascinating mathematical challenge. Such problems arise often in theory and practice, particularly in engineering design, and are amenable to a rich blend of classical mathematical techniques and contemporary optimization theory. This essay presents a personal choice of some central mathematical ideas, outlined for the broad optimization community. I discuss the convex analysis of spectral functions and invariant matrix norms, touching briey on semide nite representability, and then outlining two broader algebraic viewpoints based on hyperbolic polynomials and Lie algebra. Analogous nonconvex notions lead into eigenvalue perturbation theory. The last third of the article concerns stability, for polynomials, matrices, and associated dynamical systems, ending with a section on robustness. The powerful and elegant language of nonsmooth analysis appears throughout, as a unifying narrative thread.

Optimization problems involving eigenvalues arise in many applications. Let x be a vector of real parameters and let A(x) be a continuously differentiable symmetric matrix function of x. We consider a particular problem which occurs frequently: the minimization of the maximum eigenvalue of A(x), subject to linear constraints and bounds on x. The eigenvalues of A(x) are not differentiable at points x where they coalesce, so the optimization problem is said to be nonsmooth. Furthermore, it is typically the case that the optimization objective tends to make eigenvalues coalesce at a solution point. There are three main purposes of the paper. The first is to present a clear and self-contained derivation of the Clarke generalized gradient of the max eigenvalue function in terms of a "dual matrix". The second purpose is to describe a new algorithm, based on the ideas of a previous paper by the author (SIAM J. Matrix Anal. Appl. 9 (1988) 256-268), which is suitable for solving l...

We consider the problem of minimizing the largest generalized eigenvalue of a pair of symmetric matrices, each of which depends affinely on the decision variables. Although this problem may appear specialized, it is in fact quite general, and includes for example all linear, quadratic, and linear fractional programs. Many problems arising in control theory can be cast in this form. The problem is nondifferentiable but quasiconvex, so methods such as Kelley's cuttingplane algorithm or the ellipsoid algorithm of Shor, Nemirovksy, and Yudin are guaranteed to minimize it. In this paper we describe relevant background material and a simple interior point method that solves such problems more efficiently. The algorithm is a variation on Huard's method of centers, using a self-concordant barrier for matrix inequalities developed by Nesterov and Nemirovsky. (Nesterov and Nemirovsky have also extended their potential reduction methods to handle the same problem [NN91b].) Since the problem is quasiconvex but not convex, devising a non-heuristic stopping criterion (i.e., one that guarantees a given accuracy) is more difficult than in the convex case. We describe several non-heuristic stopping criteria that are based on the dual of a related convex problem and a new ellipsoidal approximation that is slightly sharper, in some cases, than a more general result due to Nesterov and Nemirovsky. The algorithm is demonstrated on an example: determining the quadratic Lyapunov function that optimizes a decay rate estimate for a differential inclusion.

This paper gives max characterizations for the sum of the largest eigenvalues of a symmetric matrix. The elements which achieve the maximum provide a concise characterization of the generalized gradient of the eigenvalue sum in terms of a dual matrix. The dual matrix provides the information required to either verify first-order optimality conditions at a point or to generate a descent direction for the eigenvalue sum from that point, splitting a multiple eigenvalue if necessary. A model minimization algorithm is outlined, and connections with the classical literature on sums of eigenvalues are explained. Sums of the largest eigenvalues in absolute value are also addressed.

This work concerns primal-dual interior-point methods for semidefinite programming (SDP) that use a search direction originally proposed by Helmberg-Rendl-Vanderbei-Wolkowicz [5] and Kojima-Shindoh-Hara [11], and recently rediscovered by Monteiro [15] in a more explicit form. In analyzing these methods, a number of basic equalities and inequalities were developed in [11] and also in [15] through different means and in different forms. In this paper, we give a concise derivation of the key equalities and inequalities for complexity analysis along the exact line used in linear programming (LP), producing basic relationships that have compact forms almost identical to their counterparts in LP. We also introduce a new formulation of the central path and variable-metric measures of centrality. These results provide convenient tools for deriving polynomiality results for primal-dual algorithms extended from LP to SDP using the aforementioned and related search directions. We present examples...

This work concerns primal-dual interior-point methods for semidefinite programming (SDP) that use a linearized complementarity equation originally proposed by Kojima, Shindoh and Hara [11], and recently rediscovered by Monteiro [15] in a more explicit form. In analyzing these methods, a number of basic equalities and inequalities were developed in [11] and also in [15] through different means and in different forms. In this paper, we give a very short derivation of the key equalities and inequalities along the exact line used in linear programming (LP), producing basic relationships that have highly compact forms almost identical to their counterparts in LP. We also introduce a new definition of the central path and variable-metric measures of centrality. These results provide convenient tools for extending existing polynomiality results for many, if not most, algorithms from LP to SDP with little complication. We present examples of such extensions, including the long-step infeasible-...

We study the problem of finding the minimum bisection of a graph into two parts of prescribed sizes. We formulate two lower bounds on the problem by relaxing node- and edge-incidence vectors of cuts. We prove that both relaxations provide the same bound. The main fact we prove is that the duality between the relaxed edge- and node-vectors preserves very natural cardinality constraints on cuts. We present an analogous result also for the max-cut problem, and show a relation between the edge relaxation and some other optimality criteria studied before. Finally, we briefly mention possible applications for a practical computational approach.

In the last decade many important applications of eigenvalues and eigenvectors of graphs in combinatorial optimization were discovered. The number and importance of these results is so fascinating that it makes sense to present this survey.