A conference on Preconditioning methods for optimal control and constrained optimization problems (PMOCCO'2002) will be held at the University of Nijmegen, Nijmegen, The Netherlands October 23-25, 2002. Following the tradition of earlier successful conferences, held at the University of Nijmegen and dealing with preconditioning methods, the most recent ones being:
a conference devoted to preconditioning methods for constrained optimization and optimal control will be held. These topics are strongly related and both have an extremely high practical significance. Problems of this type arise in applications of quite different origin, such as in natural sciences where models of gas and fluid flow occur, in optimal design in engineering, in medical applications such as tomography, in economics etc. The type of the arising equations can be systems of partial differential equations involving a cost function, a state differential equations and possibly inequality constraints, parameter estimation problems, inverse problems dealing with integral and differential equations, (total) least squares problems, interior methods in linear or quadratic programming etc.
Such problems must in general be solved by some iterative solution method. Thereby it is important to use an efficient preconditioning method for the arising linear or nonlinear systems of algebraic equations, which are typically of indefinite (symmetric or nonsymmetric) saddle point type. The preconditioning must reduce the condition number or rather cluster the eigenvalues so that there will be few iterations, which is particularly important as each action in an optimal control problem may itself involve costly solutions of some `state' differential equation.
Constrained optimization problems arise for mixed variable finite element methods and incompressible materials such as for Stokes/Oseen problems, in domain decomposition problems or other interface condition problems such as land-atmosphere and fluid structure interaction problems. Optimal control problems occur in a variety of applications such as in optimal shape design, weather prediction modelling, subgrid-scale models to name a few. Related problems occur in visualization, data assimilation and data compression.
Commonly used iterative methods are the Uzawa method and generalized conjugate gradient methods. The preconditioners can be based on Schur complements, regularization (stabilization) and pseudodifferential operators, or on the same structure as the given problem. Optimization methods are even used in the construction of preconditioners for symmetric positive definite problems.
Numerical methods for nonlinear optimization will also be included. During the years, much effort has been devoted to the construction of such preconditioners, in particular for constrained (incompressible) fluid flow problems. Many very complicated applied problems in optimal control have been solved as well. However, a general framework is still lacking and several unsolved problems remain.
The conference aims at bringing together scientists working in the theoretical development of preconditioning methods and scientists working with applied problems. It will focus on the above mentioned particular topics but other related topics such as LBB stable element pairs, stabilization methods, adaptive mesh refinements, optimal mesh design, and mortar element methods, may also be presented.
Scientists working in these and related fields are welcome to submit an extended (1-2) page abstract of their talk before September 20, 2002, to the address given below. Notification of acceptance will be given before September 30, 2002.
A special issue of the journal Numerical Linear Algebra with Applications (Wiley) will be devoted to papers presented at the conference. This will appear in volume 10, 2003. The conference fee, (Euro 375) includes a one year personal subscription, for a significantly reduced price, to this journal. In addition, the conference fee includes lunches, coffee. a reception and a conference dinner. For interested parties, an excursion may be organized on Saturday, October 26.
| Plenary invited speakers: | |
| Dietrich Braess, Bochum, GE | Ulrich Langer, Linz, Austria |
| Franco Brezzi, Pavia, It | Raytcho Lazarov, College Station, TX |
| M. Feistauer, Prague, CZ.R | Ladislav Luksan, Prague, CZ.R |
| A.V. Fyrsikov, Moscow, Ru | Michael Navon, Tallahassee, FL |
| Roland Glowinski, Houston, TX | J. Petersson, Linköping, Sw |
| Matthias Heinkenschloss, Houston, TX | O. Pironneau, Paris, FR |
| Ronald Hoppe, Augsburg, GE | Axel Ruhe, KTH, Stockholm, Sw |
| Sabine van Huffel, Leuven, BE | Panayot Vassilevski, Livermore, CA |
| V.P. Il'in, Novosibirsk, Ru | Andy Wathen, Oxford, UK |
| Georgij Kobelkov, Moscow, Ru | Ya-Xiang Yuan, Beijing, PR China |
| Yuri Kuznetsov, Houston, TX | Milija Zupanski, Fort Collins, CO |
| Scientific Committee: | |
| Dietrich Braess, Bochum, GE | Raytcho Lazarov, College Station, TX |
| Åke Björck, Linköping, SE | Ladislav Luksan, Prague, CZ.R. |
| Matthias Heinkenschloss, | Jean-François Maitre, Lyon, FR |
| Houston, TX and Trier, GE | Michael Navon, Tallahassee, FL |
| Piet Hemker, Amsterdam, NL | Axel Ruhe, Stockholm, SE |
| Sabine van Huffel, Leuven, BE | Philippe Toint, Namur, BE |
| Igor Kaporin, Moscow, RU | Panayot Vassilevski, Livermore, CA |
| Georgij Kobelkov, Moscow, RU | Andy Wathen, Oxford, UK |
| Yuri Kuznetsov, Houston, TX | Ya-Xiang Yuan, Beijing, PR China |
| Ulrich Langer, Linz, Austria | Owe Axelsson, Nijmegen, NL |
| Local Organizing Committee: | Correspondence Address: | |
| Owe Axelsson | Owe Axelsson | |
| Sergeij Gololobov | Faculty of Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Informatics | |
| Maya Neytcheva | The University of Nijmegen | |
| Ben Polman | NL 6525 ED Nijmegen, The Netherlands |