Related papers: Finite-Time Bounds for Two-Time-Scale Stochastic A…

In this paper, we analyze the two time-scale stochastic approximation (TTSSA) algorithm introduced in Borkar (1997) using a martingale approach. This approach leads to simple sufficient conditions for the iterations to be bounded almost…

This paper is devoted to order-one explicit approximations of random periodic solutions to multiplicative noise driven stochastic differential equations (SDEs) with non-globally Lipschitz coefficients. The existence of the random periodic…

We present adaptive sequential SAA (sample average approximation) algorithms to solve large-scale two-stage stochastic linear programs. The iterative algorithm framework we propose is organized into \emph{outer} and \emph{inner} iterations…

Policy evaluation in reinforcement learning is often conducted using two-timescale stochastic approximation, which results in various gradient temporal difference methods such as GTD(0), GTD2, and TDC. Here, we provide convergence rate…

We present a finite-time analysis of two smoothed functional stochastic approximation algorithms for simulation-based optimization. The first is a two time-scale gradient-based method, while the second is a three time-scale Newton-based…

Greedy-GQ is an off-policy two timescale algorithm for optimal control in reinforcement learning. This paper develops the first finite-sample analysis for the Greedy-GQ algorithm with linear function approximation under Markovian noise. Our…

Acceleration is an increasingly common theme in the stochastic optimization literature. The two most common examples are Nesterov's method, and Polyak's momentum technique. In this paper two new algorithms are introduced for root finding…

In two-time-scale stochastic approximation (SA), two iterates are updated at different rates, governed by distinct step sizes, with each update influencing the other. Previous studies have demonstrated that the convergence rates of the…

This paper concerns a high-dimensional stochastic programming problem of minimizing a function of expected cost with a matrix argument. To this problem, one of the most widely applied solution paradigms is the sample average approximation…

This work analyzes the stochastic approximation algorithm with non-decaying gains as applied in time-varying problems. The setting is to minimize a sequence of scalar-valued loss functions $f_k(\cdot)$ at sampling times $\tau_k$ or to…

The Metropolis process (MP) and Simulated Annealing (SA) are stochastic local search heuristics that are often used in solving combinatorial optimization problems. Despite significant interest, there are very few theoretical results…

We study time-uniform statistical inference for parameters in stochastic approximation (SA), which encompasses a bunch of applications in optimization and machine learning. To that end, we analyze the almost-sure convergence rates of the…

Stochastic second-order methods achieve fast local convergence in strongly convex optimization by using noisy Hessian estimates to precondition the gradient. However, these methods typically reach superlinear convergence only when the…

This paper considers the problem of minimizing an expectation function over a closed convex set, coupled with a {\color{black} functional or expectation} constraint on either decision variables or problem parameters. We first present a new…

This paper develops an unified framework to study finite-sample convergence guarantees of a large class of value-based asynchronous reinforcement learning (RL) algorithms. We do this by first reformulating the RL algorithms as…

This paper studies linear stochastic approximation (SA) algorithms and their application to multi-agent systems in engineering and sociology. As main contribution, we provide necessary and sufficient conditions for convergence of linear SA…

We establish central limit theorems for the Sample Average Approximation (SAA) method in discrete-time, finite-horizon stochastic optimal control. Our analysis is based on an abstract limit theorem for stochastic backward recursions, which…

Motivated by applications in risk-sensitive reinforcement learning, we study mean-variance optimization in a discounted reward Markov Decision Process (MDP). Specifically, we analyze a Temporal Difference (TD) learning algorithm with linear…

A challenging problem in decentralized optimization is to develop algorithms with fast convergence on random and time varying topologies under unreliable and bandwidth-constrained communication network. This paper studies a stochastic…

Polyak-Ruppert averaging is a widely used technique to achieve the optimal asymptotic variance of stochastic approximation (SA) algorithms, yet its high-probability performance guarantees remain underexplored in general settings. In this…