Related papers: Most Convex Functions Have Unique Minimizers

Submodular Functions are a special class of set functions, which generalize several information-theoretic quantities such as entropy and mutual information [1]. Submodular functions have subgradients and subdifferentials [2] and admit…

We prove that the smallest minimizer s(f) of a real convex function f is less than or equal to a real point x if and only if the right derivative of f at x is non-negative. Similarly, the largest minimizer t(f) is greater or equal to x if…

(Block-)coordinate minimization is an iterative optimization method which in every iteration finds a global minimum of the objective over a variable or a subset of variables, while keeping the remaining variables constant. While for some…

We prove the existence, uniqueness, and regularity of minimizers of a polyconvex functional in two and three dimensions, which corresponds to the $H^1$ projection of measure-preserving maps. Our result introduces a new criteria on the…

We explore the relationship between convex and subharmonic functions on discrete sets. Our principal concern is to determine the setting in which a convex function is necessarily subharmonic. We initially consider the primary notions of…

We study the problem of finding the one-dimensional structure in a given data set. In other words we consider ways to approximate a given measure (data) by curves. We consider an objective functional whose minimizers are a regularization of…

In this work, using Moreau envelopes, we define a complete metric for the set of proper lower semicontinuous convex functions. Under this metric, the convergence of each sequence of convex functions is epi-convergence. We show that the set…

In this paper we introduce and study a class of structured set-valued operators which we call union averaged nonexpansive. At each point in their domain, the value of such an operator can be expressed as a finite union of single-valued…

Recently classes of conic and discrete conic functions were introduced. In this paper we use the term convic instead conic. The class of convic functions properly includes the classes of convex functions, strictly quasiconvex functions and…

Functions that are piecewise defined are a common sight in mathematics while convexity is a property especially desired in optimization. Suppose now a piecewise-defined function is convex on each of its defining components - when can we…

We consider minimizers of linear functionals of the type $$L(u)=\int_{\p \Omega} u \, d \sigma - \int_{\Omega} u \, dx$$ in the class of convex functions $u$ with prescribed determinant $\det D^2 u =f$. We obtain compactness properties for…

This paper considers the problem of smoothing convex functions and sets, seeking the nearest smooth convex function or set to a given one. For convex cones and sublinear functions, a full characterization of the set of all optimal…

This paper establishes three minimax theorems for possibly nonconvex functions on Euclidean spaces or on infinite-dimensional Hilbert spaces. The theorems also guarantee the existence of saddle points. As a by-product, a complete solution…

In this paper we consider the problem of minimizing functionals of the form $E(u)=\int_B f(x,\nabla u) \,dx$ in a suitably prepared class of incompressible, planar maps $u: B \rightarrow \mathbb{R}^2$. Here, $B$ is the unit disk and…

Fix a compact $M \subset \mathbb{R}^2$ and $r>0$. A minimizer of the maximal distance functional is a connected set $\Sigma$ of the minimal length, such that \[ max_{y \in M} dist(y,\Sigma) \leq r. \] The problem of finding maximal distance…

In this paper, we provide near-optimal accelerated first-order methods for minimizing a broad class of smooth nonconvex functions that are strictly unimodal on all lines through a minimizer. This function class, which we call the class of…

For a function defined on a convex set in a Euclidean space, midpoint convexity is the property requiring that the value of the function at the midpoint of any line segment is not greater than the average of its values at the endpoints of…

This paper establishes the argmin of a random objective function to be unique almost surely. This paper first formulates a general result that proves almost sure uniqueness without convexity of the objective function. The general result is…

In this paper we study the functional given by the integral of the mean curvature of a convex set with Gaussian weight with Gaussian volume constraint. It was conjectured that the ball centered at the origin is the only minimizer of such a…

A counterexample to uniqueness of global minimizers of semilinear optimal control problems is given. The lack of uniqueness occurs for a special choice of the state-target in the cost functional. Our arguments show also that, for some…