相关论文: Double Duality: Variational Primal-Dual Policy Opt…

We prove weak duality between two recent convex relaxation methods for bounding the optimal value of a constrained variational problem in which the objective is an integral functional. The first approach, proposed by Valmorbida et al. (IEEE…

We design, analyze and test a golden ratio primal-dual algorithm (GRPDA) for solving structured convex optimization problem, where the objective function is the sum of two closed proper convex functions, one of which involves a composition…

This paper discusses algorithms for solving Markov decision processes (MDPs) that have monotone optimal policies. We propose a two-stage alternating convex optimization scheme that can accelerate the search for an optimal policy by…

We propose an unconstrained optimization method based on the well-known primal-dual hybrid gradient (PDHG) algorithm. We first formulate the optimality condition of the unconstrained optimization problem as a saddle point problem. We then…

This paper studies how to train machine-learning models that directly approximate the optimal solutions of constrained optimization problems. This is an empirical risk minimization under constraints, which is challenging as training must…

We introduce the Pontryagin-Guided Direct Policy Optimization (PG-DPO) framework for high-dimensional continuous-time portfolio choice. Our approach combines Pontryagin's Maximum Principle (PMP) with backpropagation through time (BPTT) to…

This note is concerned with the problem of minimizing a separable, convex, composite (smooth and nonsmooth) function subject to linear constraints. We study a randomized block-coordinate interpretation of the Chambolle-Pock primal-dual…

In this paper we study nonconvex and nonsmooth multi-block optimization over Riemannian manifolds with coupled linear constraints. Such optimization problems naturally arise from machine learning, statistical learning, compressive sensing,…

We examine the duality theory for a class of non-convex functions obtained by composing a convex function with a continuous one. Using Fenchel duality, we derive a dual problem that satisfies weak duality under general assumptions. To…

Augmented Lagrangian and optimistic primal--dual methods stabilize equality-constrained optimization through seemingly different mechanisms: the former adds constraint-dependent primal curvature, while the latter adds dual memory. Recent…

This paper studies the optimization of Markov decision processes (MDPs) from a risk-seeking perspective, where the risk is measured by conditional value-at-risk (CVaR). The objective is to find a policy that maximizes the long-run CVaR of…

We consider the penalized distributionally robust optimization (DRO) problem with a closed, convex uncertainty set, a setting that encompasses learning using $f$-DRO and spectral/$L$-risk minimization. We present Drago, a stochastic…

Online safe reinforcement learning (RL) plays a key role in dynamic environments, with applications in autonomous driving, robotics, and cybersecurity. The objective is to learn optimal policies that maximize rewards while satisfying safety…

Novel advanced policy gradient (APG) methods, such as Trust Region policy optimization and Proximal policy optimization (PPO), have become the dominant reinforcement learning algorithms because of their ease of implementation and good…

We consider the problem of learning in adversarial Markov decision processes [MDPs] with an oblivious adversary in a full-information setting. The agent interacts with an environment during $T$ episodes, each of which consists of $H$…

Markov Decision Problems (MDPs) provide a foundational framework for modelling sequential decision-making across diverse domains, guided by optimality criteria such as discounted and average rewards. However, these criteria have inherent…

We propose restarted accelerated primal-dual algorithms with (non-monotone) backtracking (rAPDB) for convex nonlinear conic programs, with quadratically constrained quadratic programs (QCQPs) as a special case. Unlike linear and quadratic…

A tenet of reinforcement learning is that the agent always observes rewards. However, this is not true in many realistic settings, e.g., a human observer may not always be available to provide rewards, sensors may be limited or…

Safe Reinforcement Learning (RL) often faces significant issues such as constraint violations and instability, necessitating the use of constrained policy optimization, which seeks optimal policies while ensuring adherence to specific…

We study the problem of learning optimal policies in finite-horizon Markov Decision Processes (MDPs) using low-rank reinforcement learning (RL) methods. In finite-horizon MDPs, the policies, and therefore the value functions (VFs) are not…