Interest in constrained optimization originated with the simple linear pro gramming model since it was practical and perhaps the only computationally tractable model at the time. Constrained linear optimization models were soon adopted in numerous application areas and are perhaps the most widely used mathematical models in operations research and management science at the time of this writing. Modelers have, however, found the assumption of linearity to be overly restrictive in expressing the real-world phenomena and problems in economics, finance, business, communication, engineering design, computational biology, and other areas that frequently demand the use of nonlinear expressions and discrete variables in optimization models. Both of these extensions of the linear programming model are NP-hard, thus representing very challenging problems. On the brighter side, recent advances in algorithmic and computing technology make it possible to re visit these problems with the hope of solving practically relevant problems in reasonable amounts of computational time. Initial attempts at solving nonlinear programs concentrated on the de velopment of local optimization methods guaranteeing globality under the assumption of convexity. On the other hand, the integer programming liter ature has concentrated on the development of methods that ensure global optima. The aim of this book is to marry the advancements in solving nonlinear and integer programming models and to develop new results in the more general framework of mixed-integer nonlinear programs (MINLPs) with the goal of devising practically efficient global optimization algorithms for MINLPs.

Many engineering, operations, and scientific applications include a mixture of discrete and continuous decision variables and nonlinear relationships involving the decision variables that have a pronounced effect on the set of feasible and optimal solutions. Mixed-integer nonlinear programming (MINLP) problems combine the numerical difficulties of handling nonlinear functions with the challenge of optimizing in the context of nonconvex functions and discrete variables. MINLP is one of the most flexible modeling paradigms available for optimization; but because its scope is so broad, in the most general cases it is hopelessly intractable. Nonetheless, an expanding body of researchers and practitioners — including chemical engineers, operations researchers, industrial engineers, mechanical engineers, economists, statisticians, computer scientists, operations managers, and mathematical programmers — are interested in solving large-scale MINLP instances.

Disjunctive Programming is a technique and a discipline initiated by the author in the early 1970's, which has become a central tool for solving nonconvex optimization problems like pure or mixed integer programs, through convexification (cutting plane) procedures combined with enumeration. It has played a major role in the revolution in the state of the art of Integer Programming that took place roughly during the period 1990-2010. The main benefit that the reader may acquire from reading this book is a deeper understanding of the theoretical underpinnings and of the applications potential of disjunctive programming, which range from more efficient problem formulation to enhanced modeling capability and improved solution methods for integer and combinatorial optimization. Egon Balas is University Professor and Lord Professor of Operations Research at Carnegie Mellon University's Tepper School of Business.

Nonlinearoptimizationproblemscontainingbothcontinuousanddiscretevariables are called mixed integer nonlinear programs (MINLP). Such problems arise in many ?elds, such as process industry, engineering design, communications, and ?nance. There is currently a huge gap between MINLP and mixed integer linear programming(MIP) solvertechnology.With a modernstate-of-the-artMIP solver itispossibletosolvemodelswithmillionsofvariablesandconstraints,whereasthe dimensionofsolvableMINLPsisoftenlimitedbyanumberthatissmallerbythree or four orders of magnitude. It is theoretically possible to approximate a general MINLP by a MIP with arbitrary precision. However, good MIP approximations are usually much larger than the original problem. Moreover, the approximation of nonlinear functions by piecewise linear functions can be di?cult and ti- consuming. In this book relaxation and decomposition methods for solving nonconvex structured MINLPs are proposed. In particular, a generic branch-cut-and-price (BCP) framework for MINLP is presented. BCP is the underlying concept in almost all modern MIP solvers. Providing a powerful decomposition framework for both sequential and parallel solvers, it made the success of the current MIP technology possible. So far generic BCP frameworks have been developed only for MIP, for example,COIN/BCP (IBM, 2003) andABACUS (OREAS GmbH, 1999). In order to generalize MIP-BCP to MINLP-BCP, the following points have to be taken into account: • A given (sparse) MINLP is reformulated as a block-separable program with linear coupling constraints.The block structure makes it possible to generate Lagrangian cuts and to apply Lagrangian heuristics. • In order to facilitate the generation of polyhedral relaxations, nonlinear c- vex relaxations are constructed. • The MINLP separation and pricing subproblems for generating cuts and columns are solved with specialized MINLP solvers.

A textbook for an undergraduate course in mathematical programming for students with a knowledge of elementary real analysis, linear algebra, and classical linear programming (simple techniques). Focuses on the computation and characterization of global optima of nonlinear functions, rather than the locally optimal solutions addressed by most books on optimization. Incorporates the theoretical, algorithmic, and computational advances of the past three decades that help solve globally multi-extreme problems in the mathematical modeling of real world systems. Annotation copyright by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

This volume presents a selection of advanced case studies that address a substantial range of issues and challenges arising in space engineering. The contributing authors are well-recognized researchers and practitioners in space engineering and in applied optimization. The key mathematical modeling and numerical solution aspects of each application case study are presented in sufficient detail. Classic and more recent space engineering problems – including cargo accommodation and object placement, flight control of satellites, integrated design and trajectory optimization, interplanetary transfers with deep space manoeuvres, low energy transfers, magnetic cleanliness modeling, propulsion system design, sensor system placement, systems engineering, space traffic logistics, and trajectory optimization – are discussed. Novel points of view related to computational global optimization and optimal control, and to multidisciplinary design optimization are also given proper emphasis. A particular attention is paid also to scenarios expected in the context of future interplanetary explorations. Modeling and Optimization in Space Engineering will benefit researchers and practitioners working on space engineering applications. Academics, graduate and post-graduate students in the fields of aerospace and other engineering, applied mathematics, operations research and optimal control will also find the book useful, since it discusses a range of advanced model development and solution techniques and tools in the context of real-world applications and new challenges.

Global Optimization has emerged as one of the most exciting new areas of mathematical programming. Global optimization has received a wide attraction from many fields in the past few years, due to the success of new algorithms for addressing previously intractable problems from diverse areas such as computational chemistry and biology, biomedicine, structural optimization, computer sciences, operations research, economics, and engineering design and control. This book contains refereed invited papers submitted at the 4th international confer ence on Frontiers in Global Optimization held at Santorini, Greece during June 8-12, 2003. Santorini is one of the few sites of Greece, with wild beauty created by the explosion of a volcano which is in the middle of the gulf of the island. The mystic landscape with its numerous mult-extrema, was an inspiring location particularly for researchers working on global optimization. The three previous conferences on "Recent Advances in Global Opti mization", "State-of-the-Art in Global Optimization", and "Optimization in Computational Chemistry and Molecular Biology: Local and Global approaches" took place at Princeton University in 1991, 1995, and 1999, respectively. The papers in this volume focus on de terministic methods for global optimization, stochastic methods for global optimization, distributed computing methods in global optimization, and applications of global optimiza tion in several branches of applied science and engineering, computer science, computational chemistry, structural biology, and bio-informatics.