SCAIM Seminar: Christoph Ortner
- Date: 03/25/2014
- Time: 12:30
Lecturer(s):
Christoph Ortner, Warwick
Location:
University of British Columbia
Topic:
Accelerating the Dimer Algorithm for Computing Saddle Points
Description:
The dimer method is a simple hessian-free algorithm for computing index-1 saddles. In this talk, I will review and analyze a few variants of this algorithm, focusing on some improvements to its efficiency, in particular adding preconditioning capabilities and line-search based on a local merit function. I will demonstrate the efficiency of the new variant on a range of applications from academic toy problems, an atomistic problem and a PDE problem.
Despite these new improvements, we can currently give no global convergence guarantee. Indeed, we can construct counterexamples to global convergence. I will conclude my talk by explaining some of the difficulties we encountered.
Despite these new improvements, we can currently give no global convergence guarantee. Indeed, we can construct counterexamples to global convergence. I will conclude my talk by explaining some of the difficulties we encountered.
Other Information:
Location: ESB 4133