Optimization by Stochastic Continuation

Simulated annealing (SA) and deterministic continuation are well-known generic approaches to global optimization. Deterministic continuation is computationally attractive but produces suboptimal solutions, whereas SA is asymptotically optimal but converges very slowly. In this paper, we introduce a new class of hybrid algorithms which combines the theoretical advantages of SA with the practical advantages of deterministic continuation. We call this class of algorithms stochastic continuation (SC). In a nutshell, SC is a variation of SA in which both the energy function and the communication mechanism are allowed to be time-dependent. We first prove that SC inherits the convergence properties of generalized SA under weak assumptions. Then, we show that SC can be successfully applied to optimization issues raised by the Bayesian approach to signal reconstruction. The considered class of energy functions arises in maximum a posteriori estimation with a Markov random field prior. The assoc...

• Type: Journal
• Year: 2010
• Where: SIAMIS
• Authors: Marc C. Robini, Isabelle E. Magnin
• Keywords: Deterministic Continuation, Energy Functions, SIAMIS 2010, Simulated Annealing