Chaos propagation in genetic algorithms: An optimal transport approach

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Author: Borghi, Giacomo
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
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author Borghi, Giacomo
author_facet Borghi, Giacomo
contents Genetic algorithms are high-level heuristic optimization methods which enjoy great popularity thanks to their intuitive description, flexibility, and, of course, effectiveness. The optimization procedure is based on the evolution of possible solutions following three mechanisms: selection, mutation, and crossover. In this paper, we look at the algorithm as an interacting particle system and show that it is described by a Boltzmann-type equation in the many particles limit. Specifically, we prove a propagation of chaos result with a novel technique that leverages the optimal transport formulation of the bounded Lipschitz norm and naturally incorporates the crossover mechanism into the analysis. The convergence admits a rate with respect to the number of particles, corresponding to the optimal rate in the Wasserstein-1 distance.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2601_14169
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Chaos propagation in genetic algorithms: An optimal transport approach
Borghi, Giacomo
Probability
82C22, 35Q20, 65C05, 90C59, 49Q22
Genetic algorithms are high-level heuristic optimization methods which enjoy great popularity thanks to their intuitive description, flexibility, and, of course, effectiveness. The optimization procedure is based on the evolution of possible solutions following three mechanisms: selection, mutation, and crossover. In this paper, we look at the algorithm as an interacting particle system and show that it is described by a Boltzmann-type equation in the many particles limit. Specifically, we prove a propagation of chaos result with a novel technique that leverages the optimal transport formulation of the bounded Lipschitz norm and naturally incorporates the crossover mechanism into the analysis. The convergence admits a rate with respect to the number of particles, corresponding to the optimal rate in the Wasserstein-1 distance.
title Chaos propagation in genetic algorithms: An optimal transport approach
topic Probability
82C22, 35Q20, 65C05, 90C59, 49Q22
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.14169