An online adaptive finite-element method for nonsmooth PDE-constrained optimization

Fuente: arXiv
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Hauptverfasser: Antil, Harbir, Baraldi, Robert J., Khandelwal, Rohit, Kouri, Drew P.
Format: Preprint
Veröffentlicht: 2026
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author Antil, Harbir
Baraldi, Robert J.
Khandelwal, Rohit
Kouri, Drew P.
author_facet Antil, Harbir
Baraldi, Robert J.
Khandelwal, Rohit
Kouri, Drew P.
contents We present a trust-region-based adaptive finite-element algorithm for numerically solving a class of nonsmooth PDE-constrained optimization problems that includes problems with sparsifying regularizers and convex constraints. In particular, we consider the class of problems whose objective function is the sum of a smooth, possibly nonconvex, function and a nonsmooth extended real-valued convex function. Our method combines the robustness of inexact trust-region algorithms for nonsmooth problems with the efficiency of adaptive finite-element discretizations. Starting from a coarse mesh, the algorithm automatically refines the discretization based on reliable a posteriori error estimators for both the state and adjoint equations, systematically controlling the accuracy of the computed smooth objective function value and gradient. This adaptivity mechanism balances computational cost and solution accuracy, enabling high resolution of localized phenomena and sparsity structures in the state and control variables. We demonstrate the performance of our algorithm through numerical experiments on representative control and topology optimization examples.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2604_24065
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle An online adaptive finite-element method for nonsmooth PDE-constrained optimization
Antil, Harbir
Baraldi, Robert J.
Khandelwal, Rohit
Kouri, Drew P.
Optimization and Control
49M37, 49K20, 49J20, 65M12, 65M15, 65M60, 90C30, 93C20
We present a trust-region-based adaptive finite-element algorithm for numerically solving a class of nonsmooth PDE-constrained optimization problems that includes problems with sparsifying regularizers and convex constraints. In particular, we consider the class of problems whose objective function is the sum of a smooth, possibly nonconvex, function and a nonsmooth extended real-valued convex function. Our method combines the robustness of inexact trust-region algorithms for nonsmooth problems with the efficiency of adaptive finite-element discretizations. Starting from a coarse mesh, the algorithm automatically refines the discretization based on reliable a posteriori error estimators for both the state and adjoint equations, systematically controlling the accuracy of the computed smooth objective function value and gradient. This adaptivity mechanism balances computational cost and solution accuracy, enabling high resolution of localized phenomena and sparsity structures in the state and control variables. We demonstrate the performance of our algorithm through numerical experiments on representative control and topology optimization examples.
title An online adaptive finite-element method for nonsmooth PDE-constrained optimization
topic Optimization and Control
49M37, 49K20, 49J20, 65M12, 65M15, 65M60, 90C30, 93C20
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2604.24065