Iterative Proximal-Minimization for Computing Saddle Points with Fixed Index

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Hauptverfasser: Gu, Shuting, Zhang, Hao, Zhang, Xiaoqun, Zhou, Xiang
Format: Preprint
Veröffentlicht: 2025
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author Gu, Shuting
Zhang, Hao
Zhang, Xiaoqun
Zhou, Xiang
author_facet Gu, Shuting
Zhang, Hao
Zhang, Xiaoqun
Zhou, Xiang
contents Computing saddle points with a prescribed Morse index on potential energy surfaces is crucial for characterizing transition states for nosie-induced rare transition events in physics and chemistry. Many numerical algorithms for this type of saddle points are based on the eigenvector-following idea and can be cast as an iterative minimization formulation (SINUM. Vol. 53, p.1786, 2015), but they may struggle with convergence issues and require good initial guesses. To address this challenge, we discuss the differential game interpretation of this iterative minimization formulation and investigate the relationship between this game's Nash equilibrium and saddle points on the potential energy surface. Our main contribution is that adding a proximal term, which grows faster than quadratic, to the game's cost function can enhance the stability and robustness. This approach produces a robust Iterative Proximal Minimization (IPM) algorithm for saddle point computing. We show that the IPM algorithm surpasses the preceding methods in robustness without compromising the convergence rate or increasing computational expense. The algorithm's efficacy and robustness are showcased through a two-dimensional test problem, and the Allen-Cahn, Cahn-Hilliard equation, underscoring its numerical robustness.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2501_14840
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Iterative Proximal-Minimization for Computing Saddle Points with Fixed Index
Gu, Shuting
Zhang, Hao
Zhang, Xiaoqun
Zhou, Xiang
Optimization and Control
Numerical Analysis
Computing saddle points with a prescribed Morse index on potential energy surfaces is crucial for characterizing transition states for nosie-induced rare transition events in physics and chemistry. Many numerical algorithms for this type of saddle points are based on the eigenvector-following idea and can be cast as an iterative minimization formulation (SINUM. Vol. 53, p.1786, 2015), but they may struggle with convergence issues and require good initial guesses. To address this challenge, we discuss the differential game interpretation of this iterative minimization formulation and investigate the relationship between this game's Nash equilibrium and saddle points on the potential energy surface. Our main contribution is that adding a proximal term, which grows faster than quadratic, to the game's cost function can enhance the stability and robustness. This approach produces a robust Iterative Proximal Minimization (IPM) algorithm for saddle point computing. We show that the IPM algorithm surpasses the preceding methods in robustness without compromising the convergence rate or increasing computational expense. The algorithm's efficacy and robustness are showcased through a two-dimensional test problem, and the Allen-Cahn, Cahn-Hilliard equation, underscoring its numerical robustness.
title Iterative Proximal-Minimization for Computing Saddle Points with Fixed Index
topic Optimization and Control
Numerical Analysis
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2501.14840