Threshold-Based Optimal Arm Selection in Monotonic Bandits: Regret Lower Bounds and Algorithms

Fuente: arXiv
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Autori principali: Varude, Chanakya, Chaudhary, Jay, Kaushik, Siddharth, Chaporkar, Prasanna
Natura: Preprint
Pubblicazione: 2025
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author Varude, Chanakya
Chaudhary, Jay
Kaushik, Siddharth
Chaporkar, Prasanna
author_facet Varude, Chanakya
Chaudhary, Jay
Kaushik, Siddharth
Chaporkar, Prasanna
contents In multi-armed bandit problems, the typical goal is to identify the arm with the highest reward. This paper explores a threshold-based bandit problem, aiming to select an arm based on its relation to a prescribed threshold \(τ\). We study variants where the optimal arm is the first above \(τ\), the \(k^{th}\) arm above or below it, or the closest to it, under a monotonic structure of arm means. We derive asymptotic regret lower bounds, showing dependence only on arms adjacent to \(τ\). Motivated by applications in communication networks (CQI allocation), clinical dosing, energy management, recommendation systems, and more. We propose algorithms with optimality validated through Monte Carlo simulations. Our work extends classical bandit theory with threshold constraints for efficient decision-making.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2509_02119
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Threshold-Based Optimal Arm Selection in Monotonic Bandits: Regret Lower Bounds and Algorithms
Varude, Chanakya
Chaudhary, Jay
Kaushik, Siddharth
Chaporkar, Prasanna
Machine Learning
In multi-armed bandit problems, the typical goal is to identify the arm with the highest reward. This paper explores a threshold-based bandit problem, aiming to select an arm based on its relation to a prescribed threshold \(τ\). We study variants where the optimal arm is the first above \(τ\), the \(k^{th}\) arm above or below it, or the closest to it, under a monotonic structure of arm means. We derive asymptotic regret lower bounds, showing dependence only on arms adjacent to \(τ\). Motivated by applications in communication networks (CQI allocation), clinical dosing, energy management, recommendation systems, and more. We propose algorithms with optimality validated through Monte Carlo simulations. Our work extends classical bandit theory with threshold constraints for efficient decision-making.
title Threshold-Based Optimal Arm Selection in Monotonic Bandits: Regret Lower Bounds and Algorithms
topic Machine Learning
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.02119