Title
Distributed Optimization: Convergence Conditions from a Dynamical System Perspective
Abstract
This paper explores the fundamental properties of distributed minimization of a sum of functions with each function only known to one node, and a pre-specified level of node knowledge and computational capacity. We define the optimization information each node receives from its objective function, the neighboring information each node receives from its neighbors, and the computational capacity each node can take advantage of in controlling its state. It is proven that there exist a neighboring information way and a control law that guarantee global optimal consensus if and only if the solution sets of the local objective functions admit a nonempty intersection set for fixed strongly connected graphs. Then we show that for any tolerated error, we can find a control law that guarantees global optimal consensus within this error for fixed, bidirectional, and connected graphs under mild conditions. For time-varying graphs, we show that optimal consensus can always be achieved as long as the graph is uniformly jointly strongly connected and the nonempty intersection condition holds. The results illustrate that nonempty intersection for the local optimal solution sets is a critical condition for successful distributed optimization for a large class of algorithms.
Year
Venue
Field
2012
CoRR
Convergence (routing),Mathematical optimization,Control theory,Multi-agent system,Dynamical systems theory,Minification,Solution set,If and only if,Strongly connected component,Mathematics,Dynamical system
DocType
Volume
Citations 
Journal
abs/1210.6685
1
PageRank 
References 
Authors
0.43
21
3
Name
Order
Citations
PageRank
guodong shi171154.50
Alexandre Proutiere255840.94
Karl Henrik Johansson33996322.75