An adaptive projection BFGS method for nonconvex unconstrained optimization problems.

The BFGS method is a common and effective method for solving unconstrained optimization problems in quasi-Newton algorithm. However, many scholars have proven that the algorithm may fail in some cases for nonconvex problems under Wolfe conditions. In this paper, an adaptive projection BFGS algorithm is proposed naturally which can solve nonconvex problems, and the following properties are shown in this algorithm: ➀ The generation of the step size α j satisfies the popular Wolfe conditions; ➁ a specific condition is proposed which has sufficient descent property, and if the current point satisfies this condition, the ordinary BFGS iteration process proceeds as usual; ➂ otherwise, the next iteration point x j + 1 is generated by the proposed adaptive projection method. This algorithm is globally convergent for nonconvex problems under the weak-Wolfe-Powell (WWP) conditions and has a superlinear convergence rate, which can be regarded as an extension of projection BFGS method proposed by Yuan et al. (J. Comput. Appl. Math. 327:274-294, 2018). Furthermore, the final numerical results and the application of the algorithm to the Muskingum model demonstrate the feasibility and competitiveness of the algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]