Global Optimization of Multivariate Holderian Functions Using Overestimators ()
1. Introduction
When modeling economic, biologic, …, systems, we often meet situations where we are led to minimize or maximize objective multivariate functions [1] . Generally, we are seeking global optimums. It’s well known that global optimization algorithms are scare, when compared to the local optimization ones [2] , and when they exist, their implementation is not so obvious. This difficulty increases when the number of the decision variables gets higher.
In this paper, the objective function is deterministic and available and the variables are bounded but the derivative information is either unavailable or its manipulation is expensive.
When information derivative is not required, many authors have used the regularity of the objective function to elaborate algorithms giving the optimum [3] [4] .
Shubert [5] , Ammar and Cherruault [6] [7] , Evtushenko Ya. G., Malkova V. U. and Stanevichyus A. A. [8] , Gergel V. P. and Sergeyev Ya. D. [9] , Sergeyev Y. D. and Kvasov D. E. [10] considered the case where the objective function is lipschitzian. They developed methods generating sequences converging to the optimum. Other authors, Gourdin E. Jaumard B. and Ellaia R. [11] , Lera D. and Sergeyev Ya. D. [12] , Rahal M. and Ziadi A. [13] , processed the case of holderian functions by trying to elaborate a sequence to converge to the optimum; except that, here, obtaining a sequence, to converge to the optimum, is not so obvious.
In this paper, we are also interested in holderian objective functions. We will develop a technique to solve a multidimensional optimization problem.
In the first part of this paper we define a sequence of overestimators of a single variable function. Then we describe a global optimization algorithm suitable to such functions converging to the global maximum. Then after, we show how we can give an approximating value of the maximum of a several-variables holderian function. To do this, we introduce, in the second part, the Lissajous α-dense curve: the tool that allows to go from a multidimensional optimization problem to a single dimensional one. We end this paper by validating our algorithm testing it on some test functions [14] .
2. Optimization of a Single Variable Hoderian Function
Let’s consider a single variable holderian function f defined on an interval
.
Let’s denote by (P) the following unidimensional optimization problem:
(P)
In fact, we will not search the exact solution
of this problem, we just want to have its approximated value. To achieve this, we will develop a global optimization algorithm suited to holderian functions, that will give an approximation
such that
where
, is the required accuracy a priori chosen. This algorithm is based on a sequence of overestimators.
2.1. Overestimator of a Holderian Function
Definition 1. A real multivariate function f is said to be holderian on a set
, if there exists
and
such that
and
:
.
Definition 2. A function F is said to be an overestimator of a function f on a set X if:
.
Proposition 1. Let f be a holderian univariate function defined on the interval
and let
. The function H defined on
by:
.
is an overestimator of f on
.
Proof. Let’s set
, As f is holderian:
.
This yields:
.
Hence,
.
2.2. Sequence of Overestimators
Let
the left bound of [a, b] and let’s set:
an overestimator of f whose representative curve is given by Figure 1.
The curve has one vertex
such that:
Let’s set
. Here,
. From the point that coordinates are
, we plot the curve of the overestimator:
as shown in Figure 2. We set:
and
.
The vertex
is anymore a vertex of the curve of
. It’s replaced by a new vertex
, given by the intersection of the curves of
and
.
The real
is solution of the following equation:
In general, it is not easy to have the exact value of the solution of the equation above. For this reason, we will introduce an auxiliary function
that allows to give a value nearby to
that we also denote by
.
The point
is between two neighbouring points belonging to the curve of
: one on its left
and one in its right
. We denote by:
・
・
・
・
According to the Figure 2, and in this case,
and
. Let’s set
in
such that:
and
. That yields that:
From the point
, we plot the representative curve of:
where
.
The new function:
is also an overestimator.
The curve of
has a new vertex, given by the curve of
, denoted by:
such that:
as indicated in Figure 3.
Hence, the vertex
will be replaced by
. The new vertex of the curve of
, now denoted by
, will be identified by
with
and where
and
are, respectively,
the left and the right neighbours of
.
Let set
. Here,
. Let:
・
・
Suppose f evaluated at
and denote by:
The curve of
has n vertexes:
such that each of them is identified by:
for i from 1 to n. (1)
Let’s
,
,
and:
・
・
For the curve of the overestimator
is anymore a summit, but two new vertexes appear from either side of
: denoted by
(in the left) and
(in the right), as indicated in Figure 4. Set:
・
・
For the both vertexes
and
, it is not obvious to calculate their coordinates. Each of them will be replaced, respectively, by
and
as proceeded for
.
Let’s determinate the coordinates of vertex
.
Set
and
which belong to the set
where
is the absciss of the left neighbour
of
, as mentioned in (1).
Let’s set
in
such that:
and
.
This involves:
where
. Let:
where
.
The part of the curve of
relative to the interval
is replaced by the one of
. That makes appear a new vertex (
) replacing
such that:
・ Its absciss is
・ Its ordinate is
Furthermore,
will be identified by its neighbours:
・ The left neighbour
・ The right neighbour
Those values will be saved in memory.
Similarly,
will be replaced by
determined as follows:
Set
and
which belong to the set
where
is the absciss of the right neighbour of
. Let:
ü
ü
where
.
The vertex
that will replace
has the following coordinates:
・ Its absciss is
・ Its ordinate is
will also be identified by its neighbours:
・ The left neighbour
・ The right neighbour
Let’s set:
where
.
Furthermore, the vertex
is eliminated and replaced by
and
. Hence, we have
simmits that we organize in an increasing order, that yields:
2.3. Convergence Theorem
Theorem 1. Let
a
-holderian function defined on the interval
. The sequence
, defined above, decreases to the maximum of
.
Proof. Denote by
and
,
for all
. This involves that:
As
and by the construction of
, we deduce that:
Hence:
which vanishes to 0.
As
is an increasing bounded sequence, it converges. Suppose that
converges to
. As
is a compact,
. Let
such that
. As
is a compact, the sequence
admits a subsequence
that converges to
in
. The continuity of
involves that
.
Let
. Since
converges to
,
. The property of Holder involves that:
. This
means that
:
On the other hand,
:
Hence,
and
such that
, we have:
The real
, then
such that:
.
This means that
. This is absurd. Then
converges to
.
2.4. Description of the Algorithm
2.4.1. Initialization
.
・
・
・
・
and
2.4.2. Iterative Steps
・
・
・
・
・
・
Organize in an increasing order
:
.
2.4.3. Stopping Criterion
If
, then stop, else,
and back to iterative steps.
3. α-Dense Curves
The principal tool that enables one to apply the algorithm above for a multivariate function is the α-dense curves [15] [16] [17] .
3.1. The α-Dense Curves
Definition 3. Let
be a non empty set and
a subset of
.
is said to be α-dense in
, if:
Among the α-dense curves, we have chosen the Lissajous curves.
3.2. Lissajous Curve
In mathematics, a Lissajous curve, also known as Lissajous figure or Bowditch curve, is the graph of a system of parametric equations which describe complex harmonic motion.
3.2.1. Bidimensional Case
In the bidimensional case, a Lissajous figure can be defined by the following parametric equations:
where
and
.
The number
is named the parameter of the curve. If
is rational, it can
be expressed in the form
. Hence, the parametric equation describing the
curve becomes:
where:
In what follows, we set
and let consider the following function
defined by:
(2)
where
such that: p is an even number and
, of which the representative curve is given by Figure 5;
Theorem 2. If
, the Lissajous curve
, given by (2), is α-dense
in
.
Proof. Let
any point in
. Let show that there exists
such that:
We Set:
.
is an even number and
.
Let’s set t in
. Notice that the function
is
periodic. Let
.
Consider the points
and
. The points
and
have the same abscissa.
Figure 5. Lissajous curve in the bidimensional case.
This distance reaches its maximum value when
, for
where
.
Hence,
.
As
is surjective from
on
, there exists
such
that
.
As
is surjective from
on
, there exists
such
that
.
There exists
such that: either
or
This does not occur only when
or
, that means that when the point
in on the boundary.
This yields that
is in the segment:
.
So that, any point
can be framed between two points of type
and
.
Hence, we can approximate any point of
by a point of the Lissajous curve.
When trying to α-densify
using the parametric curve
, we choose the coefficient
such that:
.
Generally, let
and set a curve
that parametric equation is:
Corollary 1. For
, any point in
can be approximated,
with a precision
, by at least one point of
.
, there exists
such that
.
3.2.2. Multidimensional Case
ü In dimension two, we defined the Lissajous curve by:
with:
a given even number and
.
ü In dimension three, let’s consider
, We first link
and
as done in the bidimensional case: that means:
and
with
in
, then we link
and
, similarly, by setting:
and
with
in
. This involves:
Hence, we obtain parametric curve
defined by the following expression:
with
.
ü We can generalize this process to n variables
by linking two by two by the same manner. At the end of the process, we get the new variable t belonging to
that all variables will be expressed by:
where
are defined as follows:
Then, let’s consider the parametric curve
defined by:
Theorem 3. Let
.
The parametric curve defined by
such that:
for
is α-dense on
.
Proof. Let
and
two points of the curve
. As the function
is
periodic, the
first coordinates of these two points are
equal. As proceeded in the second part of the proof of the previous theorem, we show that:
Therefore, any point
can be framed between two points of the curve of type:
and
where
.
Generally, let
and set a curve
that parametric equation is:
Corollary 2. For
, any point in
can be approximated,
with a precision α, by at least one point of the parametric curve given by
.
, there exists
such that
.
4. Optimization of a Multivariate Holderian Function
Let
be a multivariate holderian function with constants of Holder are:
and
.
Let us consider the following multidimensional optimization problem:
In fact, we don’t look for the exact value of the minimum value of
, we’d just want an approximating value of that minimum value with a given accuracy
.
By means of an α-dense Lissajous curve on
, we convert the initial multidimensional problem
into an unidimensional one as follows:
where:
, the single variable function approximating the multivariate function
. (where
defined above)
Proposition 2. If
is
-holderian and
is
-holderian, then
is holderian where the constant is “
” and the exponent is “
”.
Proof.
Let
and
.
Theorem 4. If
then
.
Remark 1. The knowledge of the minimum of
allows us to surround the minimum value of
in the interval
.
Proof. We set:
As
, the α-density guarantees the existence of
such that
Hence, if we want to estimate the optimum with an accuracy
, we just have
to take
.
Suppose that there exists
such that:
So that:
(*)
The α-density involves that there exists
such that
Considering (*) involves:
This is absurd.
5. Numerical Tests (Figures 6-9)
1)
The holderian constants are
,
. The accuracy is:
.
The result is:
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7) Let the following functions test. In [10] , RPS method was used to optimize them.
In what follows, we compare our method with the RPS one (The Particle Swarm Method of Global Optimization)