Tractable downfall of basis pursuit in structured sparse optimization

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Marmary, Maya V., Grussler, Christian
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Marmary, Maya V.
Grussler, Christian
author_facet Marmary, Maya V.
Grussler, Christian
contents The problem of finding the sparsest solution to a linear underdetermined system of equations, often appearing, e.g., in data analysis, optimal control, system identification, or sensor selection problems, is considered. This non-convex problem is commonly solved by convexification via $\ell_1$-norm minimization, known as basis pursuit (BP). In this work, a class of structured matrices, representing the system of equations, is introduced for which (BP) tractably fails to recover the sparsest solution. In particular, this enables efficient identification of matrix columns corresponding to unrecoverable non-zero entries of the sparsest solution and determination of the uniqueness of such a solution. These deterministic guarantees complement popular probabilistic ones and provide insights into the a priori design of sparse optimization problems. As our matrix structures appear naturally in optimal control problems, we exemplify our findings based on a fuel-optimal control problem for a class of discrete-time linear time-invariant systems. Finally, we draw connections of our results to compressed sensing and common basis functions in geometric modeling.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2503_19126
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Tractable downfall of basis pursuit in structured sparse optimization
Marmary, Maya V.
Grussler, Christian
Optimization and Control
Machine Learning
90C06, 90C25, 90C26, 90C59, 49M25
The problem of finding the sparsest solution to a linear underdetermined system of equations, often appearing, e.g., in data analysis, optimal control, system identification, or sensor selection problems, is considered. This non-convex problem is commonly solved by convexification via $\ell_1$-norm minimization, known as basis pursuit (BP). In this work, a class of structured matrices, representing the system of equations, is introduced for which (BP) tractably fails to recover the sparsest solution. In particular, this enables efficient identification of matrix columns corresponding to unrecoverable non-zero entries of the sparsest solution and determination of the uniqueness of such a solution. These deterministic guarantees complement popular probabilistic ones and provide insights into the a priori design of sparse optimization problems. As our matrix structures appear naturally in optimal control problems, we exemplify our findings based on a fuel-optimal control problem for a class of discrete-time linear time-invariant systems. Finally, we draw connections of our results to compressed sensing and common basis functions in geometric modeling.
title Tractable downfall of basis pursuit in structured sparse optimization
topic Optimization and Control
Machine Learning
90C06, 90C25, 90C26, 90C59, 49M25
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2503.19126