Liangjin Yao

Analysis of the convergence rate for the cyclic projection algorithm applied to basic semialgebraic convex sets

In this paper, we study the rate of convergence of the cyclic projection algorithm applied to finitely many basic semialgebraic convex sets. We establish an explicit convergence rate estimate which relies on the maximum degree of the polynomials that generate the basic semialgebraic convex sets and the dimension of the underlying space. We achieve our results by exploiting the algebraic structure of the basic semialgebraic convex sets.

Autoconjugate representers for linear monotone operators

Monotone operators are of central importance in modern optimization and nonlinear analysis. Their study has been revolutionized lately, due to the systematic use of the Fitzpatrick function. Pioneered by Penot and Svaiter, a topic of recent interest has been the representation of maximal monotone operators by so-called autoconjugate functions. Two explicit constructions were proposed, the first by Penot and Zălinescu in 2005, and another by Bauschke and Wang in 2007. The former requires a mild constraint qualification while the latter is based on the proximal average. We show that these two autoconjugate representers must coincide for continuous linear monotone operators on reflexive spaces. The continuity and the linearity assumption are both essential as examples of discontinuous linear operators and of subdifferential operators illustrate. Furthermore, we also construct an infinite family of autoconjugate representers for the identity operator on the real line.

Rectangularity and paramonotonicity of maximally monotone operators

Maximally monotone operators play a key role in modern optimization and variational analysis. Two useful subclasses are rectangular (also known as star monotone) and paramonotone operators, which were introduced by Brezis and Haraux, and by Censor, Iusem and Zenios, respectively. The former class has a useful range of properties while the latter class is of importance for interior point methods and duality theory. Both notions are automatic for subdifferential operators and known to coincide for certain matrices; however, more precise relationships between rectangularity and paramonotonicity were not known. Our aim is to provide new results and examples concerning these notions. It is shown that rectangularity and paramonotonicity are actually independent. Moreover, for linear relations, rectangularity implies paramonotonicity but the converse implication requires additional assumptions. We also consider continuous linear monotone operators, and we point out that in the Hilbert space both notions are automatic for certain displacement mappings.

On Borwein-Wiersma Decompositions of Monotone Linear Relations

Monotone operators are of basic importance in optimization as they generalize simultaneously subdifferential operators of convex functions and positive semidefinite (not necessarily symmetric) matrices. In 1970, Asplund [A monotone convergence theorem for sequences of nonlinear mapping, in Nonlinear Functional Analysis, American Math Society, Providence, RI, 1970, pp. 1-9] studied the additive decomposition of a maximal monotone operator as the sum of a subdifferential operator and an “irreducible” monotone operator. In 2007, Borwein and Wiersma [SIAM J. Optim., 18 (2007), pp. 946-960] introduced another additive decomposition, where the maximal monotone operator is written as the sum of a subdifferential operator and a “skew” monotone operator. Both decompositions are variants of the well-known additive decomposition of a matrix via its symmetric and skew part. This paper presents a detailed study of the Borwein-Wiersma decomposition of a maximal monotone linear relation. We give sufficient conditions and characterizations for a maximal monotone linear relation to be Borwein-Wiersma decomposable and show that Borwein-Wiersma decomposability implies Asplund decomposability. We exhibit irreducible linear maximal monotone operators without full domain, thus answering one of the questions raised by Borwein and Wiersma. The Borwein-Wiersma decomposition of any maximal monotone linear relation is made quite explicit in Hilbert space.

Structure Theory for Maximally Monotone Operators with Points of Continuity

In this paper, we consider the structure of maximally monotone operators in Banach space whose domains have nonempty interior and we present new and explicit structure formulas for such operators. Along the way, we provide new proofs of norm-to-weak∗ closedness and of property (Q) for these operators (as recently proven by Voisei). Various applications and limiting examples are given.

The Brézis-Browder Theorem Revisited and Properties of Fitzpatrick Functions of Order n

In this paper, we study maximal monotonicity of linear relations (set-valued operators with linear graphs) on reflexive Banach spaces. We provide a new and simpler proof of a result due to Brezis–Browder which states that a monotone linear relation with closed graph is maximal monotone if and only if its adjoint is monotone. We also study Fitzpatrick functions and give an explicit formula for Fitzpatrick functions of order n for monotone symmetric linear relations.

SUM THEOREMS FOR MAXIMALLY MONOTONE OPERATORS OF TYPE (FPV)

The most important open problem in Monotone Operator Theory concerns the maximal monotonicity of the sum of two maximally monotone operators provided that the classical Rockafellar’s constraint qualification holds. In this paper, we establish the maximal monotonicity of A + B provided that A and B are maximally monotone operators such that star(domA)∩intdomB 6 ∅, and A is of type (FPV). We show that when also domA is convex, the sum operator: A + B is also of type (FPV). Our result generalizes and unifies several recent sum theorems.

Maximally monotone linear subspace extensions of monotone subspaces: explicit constructions and characterizations

Monotone linear relations play important roles in variational inequality problems and quadratic optimizations. In this paper, we give explicit maximally monotone linear subspace extensions of a monotone linear relation in finite dimensional spaces. Examples are provided to illustrate our extensions. Our results generalize a recent result by Crouzeix and Ocaña-Anaya.

Monotone Operators without Enlargements

Enlargements have proven to be useful tools for studying maximally monotone mappings. It is therefore natural to ask in which cases the enlargement does not change the original mapping. Svaiter has recently characterized non-enlargeable operators in reflexive Banach spaces and has also given some partial results in the nonreflexive case. In the present paper, we provide another characterization of non-enlargeable operators in nonreflexive Banach spaces under a closedness assumption on the graph. Furthermore, and still for general Banach spaces, we present a new proof of the maximality of the sum of two maximally monotone linear relations. We also present a new proof of the maximality of the sum of a maximally monotone linear relation and a normal cone operator when the domain of the linear relation intersects the interior of the domain of the normal cone.