This paper deals with exploiting symmetry for solving linear and integer programming problems. Basic properties of linear representations of finite groups can be used to reduce symmetric linear programming to solving linear programs of lower dimension. Combining this approach with knowledge of the geometry of feasible integer solutions yields an algorithm for solving highly symmetric integer linear programs which only takes time which is linear in the number of constraints and quadratic in the dimension.
We study the reformulation of integer linear programs by means of a mixed integer linear program with fewer integer variables. Such reformulations can be solved efficiently with mixed integer linear programming techniques. We exhibit examples that demonstrate how integer programs can be reformulated using far fewer integer variables. To this end, we introduce a generalization of total unimodularity called the \emph{affine TU-dimension} of a matrix and study related theory and algorithms for determining the affine TU-dimension of a matrix. We also present bounds on the number of integer variabl…
We consider discrete bilevel optimization problems where the follower solves an integer program with a fixed number of variables. Using recent results in parametric integer programming, we present polynomial time algorithms for pure and mixed integer bilevel problems. For the mixed integer case where the leader's variables are continuous, our algorithm also detects whether the infimum cost fails to be attained, a difficulty that has been identified but not directly addressed in the literature. In this case it yields a ``better than fully polynomial time'' approximation scheme with running time…
We propose a new exact approach for solving integer linear programming (ILP) problems which we will call projective splitting algorithms (PSAs). Unlike classical methods for solving ILP problems, PSAs conduct the search for the optimal solution by generating candidate solutions tailored to specific values of the objective function. As a consequence of this strategy, the number of variables in the original ILP problem is systematically reduced without adding any additional constraint to the initial formulation. This is the first of a two-part series on PSAs. In this paper we focus on the resolu…
Binary Integer Programming (BIP) problems are of interest due in part to the difficulty they pose and because of their various applications, including those in graph theory, combinatorial optimization and network optimization. In this note, we explicitly state the Lovasz-Schrijver Semidefinite Programming (SDP) relaxation (in primal-standard form) for a BIP problem, a relaxation that yields a tighter upper-bound than the canonical Linear Programming relaxation.
Farkas' Lemma is a foundational result in linear programming, with implications in duality, optimality conditions, and stochastic and bilevel programming. Its generalizations are known as theorems of the alternative. There exist theorems of the alternative for integer programming and conic programming. We present theorems of the alternative for conic integer programming. We provide a nested procedure to construct a function that characterizes feasibility over right-hand sides and can determine which statement in a theorem of the alternative holds.
The notion of symmetry is defined in the context of Linear and Integer Programming. Symmetric integer programs are studied from a group theoretical viewpoint. We investigate the structure of integer solutions of integer programs and show that any integer program on n variables having an alternating group A_n as a group of symmetries can be solved in linear time in the number of variables.
In this paper, some deficiencies of a method proposed by Burdet and Johnson in 1977 for solving integer programming problems are discussed. Examples where the algorithm fails to solve the IP and ways to fix these errors are given.
Multi-objective integer or mixed-integer programming problems typically have disconnected feasible domains, making the task of constructing an approximation of the Pareto front challenging. The present paper shows that certain algorithms which were originally devised for continuous problems can be successfully adapted to approximate the Pareto front for integer, and mixed-integer, multi-objective optimization problems. Relationships amongst various scalarization techniques are established to motivate the choice of a particular scalarization in these algorithms. The proposed algorithms are test…
In this paper, we propose a mixed-binary convex quadratic programming reformulation for the box-constrained nonconvex quadratic integer program and then implement IBM ILOG CPLEX 12.6 to solve the new model. Computational results demonstrate that our approach clearly outperform the very recent state-of-the-art solvers.
A standard quadratic program is an optimization problem that consists of minimizing a (nonconvex) quadratic form over the unit simplex. We focus on reformulating a standard quadratic program as a mixed integer linear programming problem. We propose two alternative mixed integer linear programming formulations. Our first formulation is based on casting a standard quadratic program as a linear program with complementarity constraints. We then employ binary variables to linearize the complementarity constraints. For the second formulation, we first derive an overestimating function of the objecti…
We introduce a new class of optimization problems called integer Minkowski programs. The formulation of such problems involves finitely many integer variables and nonlinear constraints involving functionals defined on families of discrete or polyhedral sets. We show that, under certain assumptions, it is possible to reformulate them as integer linear programs, by making use of integral generating sets. We then apply this technique to the network design problem for fractional and integral flows subject to survivability constraints.
The objective scaling ensemble approach is a novel two-phase heuristic for integer linear programming problems shown to be effective on a wide variety of integer linear programming problems. The technique identifies and aggregates multiple partial solutions to modify the problem formulation and significantly reduce the search space. An empirical analysis on publicly available benchmark problems demonstrate the efficacy of our approach by outperforming standard solution strategies implemented in modern optimization software.
We propose a trust-region method that solves a sequence of linear integer programs to tackle integer optimal control problems regularized with a total variation penalty. The total variation penalty allows us to prove the existence of minimizers of the integer optimal control problem. We introduce a local optimality concept for the problem, which arises from the infinite-dimensional perspective. In the case of a one-dimensional domain of the control function, we prove convergence of the iterates produced by our algorithm to points that satisfy first-order stationarity conditions for local optim…
Let $A$ be an integral nonnegative $m\times n$ matrix, $b$ be an integral nonnegative vector. It is suggested new method for reduction of integer program $\max \{cx| Ax=b, x\ge 0, x\in\mathbf{Z}^n\}$ to knapsack problem $\max \{c'x| fAx=fb, x\ge 0, x\in\mathbf{Z}^n\}$.
Quantum computing is emerging as a new computing resource that could be superior to conventional computing for certain classes of optimization problems. However, in principle, most existing approaches to quantum optimization are intended to solve unconstrained binary programming problems, while mixed-integer linear programming is of most interest in practice. We attempt to bridge the gap between the capability of quantum computing and real-world applications by developing a new approach for mixed-integer programming. The approach applies Benders decomposition to decompose the mixed-integer pro…
In this paper we develop an algorithm to optimise a nonlinear utility function of multiple objectives over the integer efficient set. Our approach is based on identifying and updating bounds on the individual objectives as well as the optimal utility value. This is done using already known solutions, linear programming relaxations, utility function inversion, and integer programming. We develop a general optimisation algorithm for use with k objectives, and we illustrate our approach using a tri-objective integer programming problem.
In this paper we give a new aggregation framework for linear Diophantine equations. In particular, we prove that an aggregated system of minimum size can be built in polynomial time. We also derive an analytic formula that gives the number of solutions of the system when it is possible to aggregate the system into one equation.
This paper presents a mixed-integer quadratic programming formulation of an existing data-driven approach to computational elasticity. This formulation is suitable for application of a standard mixed-integer programming solver, which finds a global optimal solution. Therefore, the results obtained by the presented method can be used as benchmark instances for any other algorithm. Preliminary numerical experiments are performed to compare quality of solutions obtained by the proposed method and a heuristic used in the data-driven computational mechanics.
The notion of symmetry is defined in the context of Linear and Integer Programming. Symmetric linear and integer programs are studied from a group theoretical viewpoint. We show that for any linear program there exists an optimal solution in the fixed point set of its symmetry group. Using this result, we develop an algorithm that allows for reducing the dimension of any linear program having a non-trivial group of symmetries.
We consider the integer points in a unimodular cone K ordered by a lexicographic rule defined by a lattice basis. To each integer point x in K we associate a family of inequalities (lex-cuts) that defines the convex hull of the integer points in K that are not lexicographically smaller than x. The family of lex-cuts contains the Chvatal-Gomory cuts, but does not contain and is not contained in the family of split cuts. This provides a finite cutting plane method to solve the integer program min{cx : x \in S \cap Z^n }, where S \subset R^n is a compact set and c \in Z^n . We analyze the number …
The infinite models in integer programming can be described as the convex hull of some points or as the intersection of halfspaces derived from valid functions. In this paper we study the relationships between these two descriptions. Our results have implications for corner polyhedra. One consequence is that nonnegative, continuous valid functions suffice to describe corner polyhedra (with or without rational data).
We present simple compact proofs of the strong and weak duality theorems of tropical linear programming. It follows that there is no duality gap for a pair of tropical primal-dual problems. This result together with known properties of subeigenvectors enables us to directly solve a special tropical linear program with two-sided constraints. We also study the duality gap in tropical integer linear programming. A direct solution is available for the primal problem. An algorithm of quadratic complexity is presented for the dual problem. A direct solution is available provided that all coefficient…
Inspired by a paper of R. W. Rosenthal, we investigate generalized Nash-equilibria of integer programming games. We show that generalized Nash-equilibria always exist and are related to an optimal solution of a so-called N-fold integer program. This link allows us to establish some polynomial time complexity results about solving this optimization problem and its inverse counter-part.
Two-stage stochastic mixed-integer programming (SMIP) problems with general integer variables in the second-stage are generally difficult to solve. This paper develops the theory of integer set reduction for characterizing the subset of the convex hull of feasible integer points of the second-stage subproblem which can be used for solving the SMIP. The basic idea is to consider a small enough subset of feasible integer points that is necessary for generating a valid inequality for the integer subproblem. An algorithm for obtaining such a subset based on the solution of the subproblem LP-relaxa…
We investigate new methods for generating Lagrangian cuts to solve two-stage stochastic integer programs. Lagrangian cuts can be added to a Benders reformulation, and are derived from solving single scenario integer programming subproblems identical to those used in the nonanticipative Lagrangian dual of a stochastic integer program. While Lagrangian cuts have the potential to significantly strengthen the Benders relaxation, generating Lagrangian cuts can be computationally demanding. We investigate new techniques for generating Lagrangian cuts with the goal of obtaining methods that provide s…
We provide a complexity classification of four variants of robust integer programming when the underlying Graver basis is given. We discuss applications to robust multicommodity flows and multidimensional transportation, and describe an effective parametrization of robust integer programming.
This paper presents algorithms for solving multiobjective integer programming problems. The algorithm uses Barvinok's rational functions of the polytope that defines the feasible region and provides as output the entire set of nondominated solutions for the problem. Theoretical complexity results on the algorithm are provided in the paper. Specifically, we prove that encoding the entire set of nondominated solutions of the problem is polynomially doable, when the dimension of the decision space is fixed. In addition, we provide polynomial delay algorithms for enumerating this set. An implement…
In this paper we generalize N-fold integer programs and two-stage integer programs with N scenarios to N-fold 4-block decomposable integer programs. We show that for fixed blocks but variable N, these integer programs are polynomial-time solvable for any linear objective. Moreover, we present a polynomial-time computable optimality certificate for the case of fixed blocks, variable N and any convex separable objective function. We conclude with two sample applications, stochastic integer programs with second-order dominance constraints and stochastic integer multi-commodity flows, which (for f…
We consider so-called squaring the square-puzzles where a given square (or rectangle) should be dissected into smaller squares. For a specific instance of such problems we demonstrate that a mathematically rigorous solution can be quite involved. As an alternative to exhaustive enumeration using tailored algorithms we describe the general approach of formulating the problem as an integer linear program.
A classic result of Cook et al. (1986) bounds the distances between optimal solutions of mixed-integer linear programs and optimal solutions of the corresponding linear relaxations. Their bound is given in terms of the number of variables and a parameter $ Δ$, which quantifies sub-determinants of the underlying linear inequalities. We show that this distance can be bounded in terms of $ Δ$ and the number of integer variables rather than the total number of variables. To this end, we make use of a result by Olson (1969) in additive combinatorics and demonstrate how it implies feasibility of cer…
We give an explicit geometric way to build mixed-integer programming (MIP) formulations for unions of polyhedra. The construction is simply described in terms of spanning hyperplanes in an r-dimensional linear space. The resulting MIP formulation is ideal, and uses exactly r integer variables and 2 x (# of spanning hyperplanes) general inequality constraints. We use this result to derive novel logarithmic-sized ideal MIP formulations for discontinuous piecewise linear functions and structures appearing in robotics and power systems problems.
The intention of this note is two-fold. First, we study integer optimization problems in standard form defined by $A \in\mathbb{Z}^{m\times{}n}$ and present an algorithm to solve such problems in polynomial-time provided that both the largest absolute value of an entry in $A$ and $m$ are constant. Then, this is applied to solve integer programs in inequality form in polynomial-time, where the absolute values of all maximal sub-determinants of $A$ lie between $1$ and a constant.
For over ten years, the constraint integer programming framework SCIP has been extended by capabilities for the solution of convex and nonconvex mixed-integer nonlinear programs (MINLPs). With the recently published version 8.0, these capabilities have been largely reworked and extended. This paper discusses the motivations for recent changes and provides an overview of features that are particular to MINLP solving in SCIP. Further, difficulties in benchmarking global MINLP solvers are discussed and a comparison with several state-of-the-art global MINLP solvers is provided.
We show that maximal $S$-free convex sets are polyhedra when $S$ is the set of integral points in some rational polyhedron of $\mathbb{R}^n$. This result extends a theorem of Lovász characterizing maximal lattice-free convex sets. Our theorem has implications in integer programming. In particular, we show that maximal $S$-free convex sets are in one-to-one correspondence with minimal inequalities.
The paper provides a connection between Commutative Algebra and Integer Programming and contains two parts. The first one is devoted to the asymptotic behavior of integer programs with a fixed cost linear functional and the constraint sets consisting of a finite system of linear equations or inequalities with integer coefficients depending linearly on $n$. An integer $N_*$ is determined such that the optima of these integer programs are a quasi-linear function of $n$ for all $n\ge N_*$. Using results in the first part, one can bound in the second part the indices of stability of the Castelnuov…
In this work, we present a modeling framework for minimax mixed 0-1 fuzzy linear problems. It is based on extending the usual rewriting of crisp minimax problems via auxiliary variables to model the maximum of a finite set of fuzzy linear functions. We establish that the considered problem can be equivalently formulated as a multiple objective mixed integer programming problem. The framework is applied to a fully fuzzy version of the capacitated center facility location problem.
We present a new algorithm for computing a truncated Markov basis of a lattice. In general, this new algorithm is faster than existing methods. We then extend this new algorithm so that it solves the linear integer feasibility problem with promising results for equality knapsack problems. We also present a novel Groebner basis approach to solve a particular integer linear program as opposed to previous Groebner basis methods that effectively solved many different integer linear programs simultaneously. Initial results indicate that this optimisation algorithm performs better than previous Groe…
In this paper, we analyze how sequentially introducing decision variables into an integer program (IP) affects the value function and its level sets. We use a Gilmore-Gomory approach to find parametrized IP value functions over a restricted set of variables. We introduce the notion of maximal connected subsets of level sets - volumes in which changes to the constraint right-hand side have no effect on the value function - and relate these structures to IP value functions and optimal solutions.
We consider the constrained assortment optimization problem under the mixed multinomial logit model. Even moderately sized instances of this problem are challenging to solve directly using standard mixed-integer linear optimization formulations. This has motivated recent research exploring customized optimization strategies and approximation techniques. In contrast, we develop a novel conic quadratic mixed-integer formulation. This new formulation, together with McCormick inequalities exploiting the capacity constraints, enables the solution of large instances using commercial optimization sof…
We determine the maximal gap between the optimal values of an integer program and its linear programming relaxation, where the matrix and cost function are fixed but the right hand side is unspecified. Our formula involves irreducible decomposition of monomial ideals. The gap can be computed in polynomial time when the dimension is fixed.
This paper addresses the single-item single-stocking location stochastic lot sizing problem under the $(s, S) $ policy. We first present a mixed integer non-linear programming (MINLP) formulation for determining near-optimal $(s, S)$ policy parameters. To tackle larger instances, we then combine the previously introduced MINLP model and a binary search approach. These models can be reformulated as mixed integer linear programming (MILP) models which can be easily implemented and solved by using off-the-shelf optimisation software. Computational experiments demonstrate that optimality gaps of t…
Motivated by their success in the single-objective domain, we propose a very simple linear programming-based matheuristic for tri-objective binary integer programming. To tackle the problem, we obtain lower bound sets by means of the vector linear programming solver Bensolve. Then, simple heuristic approaches, such as rounding and path relinking, are applied to this lower bound set to obtain high-quality approximations of the optimal set of trade-off solutions. The proposed algorithm is compared to a recently suggested algorithm which is, to the best of our knowledge, the only existing matheur…
Recently, Bodur, Del Pia, Dey, Molinaro and Pokutta introduced the concept of aggregation cuts for packing and covering integer programs. The aggregation closure is the intersection of all aggregation cuts. Bodur et. al. studied the strength of this closure, but left open the question of whether the aggregation closure is polyhedral. In this paper, we answer this question in the positive, i.e. we show that the aggregation closure is polyhedral. Finally, we demonstrate that a generalization, the k-aggregation closure, is also polyhedral for all k.
Designing efficient algorithms to compute Nash equilibria poses considerable challenges in Algorithmic Game Theory and Optimization. In this work, we employ integer programming techniques to compute Nash equilibria in Integer Programming Games, a class of simultaneous and non-cooperative games where each player solves a parametrized integer program. We introduce ZERO Regrets, a general and efficient cutting plane algorithm to compute, enumerate, and select Nash equilibria. Our framework leverages the concept of equilibrium inequality, an inequality valid for any Nash equilibrium, and the assoc…
In this paper we give a generalization of the well known split cuts of Cook, Kannan and Schrijver to cuts which are based on multi-term disjunctions. They will be called k-disjunctive cuts. The starting point is the question what kind of cuts is needed for a finite cutting plane algorithm for general mixed integer programs. We will deal with this question in detail and derive cutting planes based on k-disjunctions related to a given cut vector. Finally we will show how a finite cutting plane algorithm can be established using these cuts in combination with Gomory mixed integer cuts.
We overview our recently introduced theory of n-fold integer programming which enables the polynomial time solution of fundamental linear and nonlinear integer programming problems in variable dimension. We demonstrate its power by obtaining the first polynomial time algorithms in several application areas including multicommodity flows and privacy in statistical databases.
We study the generalization of split, k-branch split, and intersection cuts from Mixed Integer Linear Programming to the realm of Mixed Integer Nonlinear Programming. Constructing such cuts requires calculating the convex hull of the difference between a convex set and an open set with a simple geometric structure. We introduce two techniques to give precise characterizations of such convex hulls and use them to construct split, k-branch split, and intersection cuts for several classes of non-polyhedral sets. In particular, we give simple formulas for split cuts for essentially all convex sets…
We develop a decomposition algorithm for distributionally-robust two-stage stochastic mixed-integer convex cone programs, and its important special case of distributionally-robust two-stage stochastic mixed-integer second order cone programs. This generalizes the algorithm proposed by Sen and Sherali~[Mathematical Programming 106(2): 203-223, 2006]. We show that the proposed algorithm is finitely convergent if the second-stage problems are solved to optimality at incumbent first stage solutions, and solution to an optimization problem to identify worst-case probability distribution is availabl…
