Why does the two-timescale Q-learning converge to different mean field solutions? A unified convergence analysis

Fuente: arXiv
Gespeichert in:
Bibliographische Detailangaben
Hauptverfasser: An, Jing, Lu, Jianfeng, Wu, Yue, Xiang, Yang
Format: Preprint
Veröffentlicht: 2024
Schlagworte:
Online-Zugang:
Tags: Tag hinzufügen
Keine Tags, Fügen Sie den ersten Tag hinzu!
_version_ 1866913367830036480
author An, Jing
Lu, Jianfeng
Wu, Yue
Xiang, Yang
author_facet An, Jing
Lu, Jianfeng
Wu, Yue
Xiang, Yang
contents We revisit the unified two-timescale Q-learning algorithm as initially introduced by Angiuli et al. \cite{angiuli2022unified}. This algorithm demonstrates efficacy in solving mean field game (MFG) and mean field control (MFC) problems, simply by tuning the ratio of two learning rates for mean field distribution and the Q-functions respectively. In this paper, we provide a comprehensive theoretical explanation of the algorithm's bifurcated numerical outcomes under fixed learning rates. We achieve this by establishing a diagram that correlates continuous-time mean field problems to their discrete-time Q-function counterparts, forming the basis of the algorithm. Our key contribution lies in the construction of a Lyapunov function integrating both mean field distribution and Q-function iterates. This Lyapunov function facilitates a unified convergence of the algorithm across the entire spectrum of learning rates, thus providing a cohesive framework for analysis.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2404_04357
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Why does the two-timescale Q-learning converge to different mean field solutions? A unified convergence analysis
An, Jing
Lu, Jianfeng
Wu, Yue
Xiang, Yang
Optimization and Control
We revisit the unified two-timescale Q-learning algorithm as initially introduced by Angiuli et al. \cite{angiuli2022unified}. This algorithm demonstrates efficacy in solving mean field game (MFG) and mean field control (MFC) problems, simply by tuning the ratio of two learning rates for mean field distribution and the Q-functions respectively. In this paper, we provide a comprehensive theoretical explanation of the algorithm's bifurcated numerical outcomes under fixed learning rates. We achieve this by establishing a diagram that correlates continuous-time mean field problems to their discrete-time Q-function counterparts, forming the basis of the algorithm. Our key contribution lies in the construction of a Lyapunov function integrating both mean field distribution and Q-function iterates. This Lyapunov function facilitates a unified convergence of the algorithm across the entire spectrum of learning rates, thus providing a cohesive framework for analysis.
title Why does the two-timescale Q-learning converge to different mean field solutions? A unified convergence analysis
topic Optimization and Control
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2404.04357