Information-Theoretic Security as an Optimization Problem

Quantum key distribution (QKD) protocols allow for information theoretically secure distribution of (classical) cryptographic key material. However, due to practical limitations the performance of QKD implementations is somewhat restricted. For this reason, it is crucial to find optimal protocol parameters, while guaranteeing information theoretic security. The performance of a QKD implementation is determined by the tightness of the underlying security analysis. In particular, the security analyses determines the key-rate, i.e., the amount of cryptographic key material that can be distributed per time unit. Nowadays, the security analyses of various QKD protocols are well understood. It is known that optimal protocol parameters, such as the number of decoy states and their intensities, can be found by solving a nonlinear optimization problem. The complexity of this optimization problem is typically handled by making a number of heuristic assumptions. For instance, the number of decoy states is restricted to only one or two, with one of the decoy intensities set to a fixed value, and vacuum states are ignored as they are assumed to contribute only marginally to the secure key-rate. These assumptions simplify the optimization problem and reduce the size of search space significantly. However, they also cause the security analysis to be non-tight, and thereby result in sub-optimal performance. In this work, we follow a more rigorous approach using both linear and nonlinear programs describing the optimization problem. Our approach, focusing on the decoy-state BB84 protocol, allows heuristic assumptions to be omitted, and therefore results in a tighter security analysis with better protocol parameters. We show an improved performance for the decoy-state BB84 QKD protocol, demonstrating that the heuristic assumptions typically made are too restrictive. Moreover, our improved optimization frameworks shows that the complexity of the performance optimization problem can also be handled without making heuristic assumptions, even with limited computational resources available.

In this paper, the applications of the iterative Gauss-Newton (GN) approach in nonlinear image restoration are considered. The convergence properties of a general class of nonlinear iterative algorithm are studied through the Global Convergence Theorem (GCT). The iterative GN algorithm for the solution of the least-squares optimization problem is presented. The computational complexity of this algorithm is enormous, making its implementation very difficult in practical applications. Structural modifications are introduced, which drastically reduce the computational complexity while preserving the convergence rate of the GN algorithm. With the structural modifications, the GN algorithm becomes particularly useful in nonlinear optimization problems. The convergence properties of the algorithms introduced are readily derived, on the basis of the generalized analysis and the GCT. The applications of these algorithms on practical problems, is demonstrated through an example.

The paper deals with multiobjective nonlinear optimization problems with equality and inequality con- straints. In a corresponding dialogue procedure the decision maker has to determine in each step the aspira- tion and reservation level expressing his goals. This leads to a nonlinear optimization problem which can be solved by using a combination of pathfollowing methods and feasible descent direction methods (so- called jumps). The authors propose the application of a recently published pathfollowing method with jumps to multiobjective optimization problems, discuss its topological properties and present several computational results.

Recently, in structural engineering, many main elements in structural systems such as columns or girders are designed with variable cross-section for certain purposes. In addition, in order to determine the appropriate sizes or suitable shapes of structural elements for optimal volume of material under the effect of certain loading or with the given sizes of elements the structures can be subjected maximum loading, it is required to studied the optimization problem. This paper presents the non-linear weight optimization problem of frames with variable section stiffness of columns according to the strength, stiffness and stability criteria with the help of finite element method. The non-linear optimization problem is solved by the Genetic Algorithm. The calculation procedure of non-linear optimization of plane frames with variable section stiffness of columns is established and implemented using Matlab calculation programming software. From the results of numerical examples, the conclusions and recommendations will be proposed.

Existing methods for nonlinear robust control often use scenario-based approaches to formulate the control problem as nonlinear optimization problems. Increasing the number of scenarios improves robustness, while increasing the size of the optimization problems. Mitigating the size of the problem by reducing the number of scenarios requires knowledge about how the uncertainty affects the system. This paper draws from local reduction methods used in semi-infinite optimization to solve robust optimal control problems with parametric uncertainty. We show that nonlinear robust optimal control problems are equivalent to semi-infinite optimization problems and can be solved by local reduction. By iteratively adding interim globally worst-case scenarios to the problem, methods based on local reduction provide a way to manage the total number of scenarios. In particular, we show that local reduction methods find worst case scenarios that are not on the boundary of the uncertainty set. The proposed approach is illustrated with a case study with both parametric and additive time-varying uncertainty. The number of scenarios obtained from local reduction is 101, smaller than in the case when all 214+3x192 boundary scenarios are considered. A validation with randomly drawn scenarios shows that our proposed approach reduces the number of scenarios and ensures robustness even if local solvers are used.

Simultaneous measurement of flame temperature and species concentration distribution from nonlinear tomographic absorption spectroscopy

Nonlinear optimization problems with dynamical parameters are widely arising in many practical scientific and engineering applications, and various computational models are presented for solving them under the hypothesis of short-time invariance. To eliminate the large lagging error in the solution of the inherently dynamic nonlinear optimization problem, the only way is to estimate the future unknown information by using the present and previous data during the solving process, which is termed the future dynamic nonlinear optimization (FDNO) problem. In this paper, to suppress noises and improve the accuracy in solving FDNO problems, a novel noise-tolerant neural (NTN) algorithm based on zeroing neural dynamics is proposed and investigated. In addition, for reducing algorithm complexity, the quasi-Newton Broyden-Fletcher-Goldfarb-Shanno (BFGS) method is employed to eliminate the intensively computational burden for matrix inversion, termed NTN-BFGS algorithm. Moreover, theoretical analyses are conducted, which show that the proposed algorithms are able to globally converge to a tiny error bound with or without the pollution of noises. Finally, numerical experiments are conducted to validate the superiority of the proposed NTN and NTN-BFGS algorithms for the online solution of FDNO problems.

The generation expansion planning (GEP) and reactive power planning problems are nonlinear dynamic optimization problems that can only be fully solved by complete enumeration, a process that is computationally impossible for realistic planning problems. Therefore, modern heuristic approaches, such as genetic algorithm (GA), are well suited for these complex planning problems. The GEP is one of the most important decision‐making activities in electric utilities. The chapter introduces an improved genetic algorithm, which can overcome the problems of conventional GA to some extent. Solving a least‐cost GEP problem is equivalent to finding a set of optimal decision vectors over a planning horizon that minimizes an objective function under several constraints. The reactive power planning problem is a nonlinear optimization problem. The planning problem is divided into operational and investment planning subproblems. The reactive power planning problem is to determine the optimal investment of VAR sources over a planning horizon.

In general, optimal control problems rely on numerically rather than analytically solving methods, due to their nonlinearities. The direct method, one of the numerically solving methods, is mainly to transform the optimal control problem into a nonlinear optimization problem with finite dimensions, via discretizing the objective functional and the forced dynamical equations directly. However, in the procedure of the direct method, the classical discretizations of the forced equations will reduce or affect the accuracy of the resulting optimization problem as well as the discrete optimal control. In view of this fact, more accurate and efficient numerical algorithms should be employed to approximate the forced dynamical equations. As verified, the discrete variational difference schemes for forced Birkhoffian systems exhibit excellent numerical behaviors in terms of high accuracy, long-time stability and precise energy prediction. Thus, the forced dynamical equations in optimal control problems, after being represented as forced Birkhoffian equations, can be discretized according to the discrete variational difference schemes for forced Birkhoffian systems. Compared with the method of employing traditional difference schemes to discretize the forced dynamical equations, this way yields faithful nonlinear optimization problems and consequently gives accurate and efficient discrete optimal control. Subsequently, in the paper we are to apply the proposed method of numerically solving optimal control problems to the rendezvous and docking problem of spacecrafts. First, we make a reasonable simplification, i.e., the rendezvous and docking process of two spacecrafts is reduced to the problem of optimally transferring the chaser spacecraft with a continuously acting force from one circular orbit around the Earth to another one. During this transfer, the goal is to minimize the control effort. Second, the dynamical equations of the chaser spacecraft are represented as the form of the forced Birkhoffian equation. Then in this case, the discrete variational difference scheme for forced Birkhoffian system can be employed to discretize the chaser spacecraft's equations of motion. With further discretizing the control effort and the boundary conditions, the resulting nonlinear optimization problem is obtained. Finally, the optimization problem is solved directly by the nonlinear programming method and then the discrete optimal control is achieved. The obtained optimal control is efficient enough to realize the rendezvous and docking process, even though it is only an approximation of the continuous one. Simulation results fully verify the efficiency of the proposed method for numerically solving optimal control problems, if the fact that the time step is chosen to be very large to limit the dimension of the optimization problem is noted.

In this paper, a kind of nonlinear and non-convex optimization problems under the constraints expressed by a system of mixed fuzzy relation equations with max-min and max-average composition is investigated. First, some properties of this kind of optimization problem are obtained. Then, a polynomial-time algorithm for this optimization problem is given based on these properties. Furthermore, we show that this algorithm is optimal for the considered optimization problem. Finally, numerical examples are provided to illustrate our algorithms.

Many recent developments in generating history matched reservoir models that approximately characterize subsurface uncertainty are associated with the ensemble smoother (ES) method. It is much better suited for practical history matching applications because it does not require updating of the dynamical variables and thus the frequent simulation restarts required by ensemble kalman filter (EnKF) are avoided. However, the performance of original single update scheme of ES is poor for strongly nonlinear problems and therefore iterations may be needed. Several iterative forms of ES were proposed in the past few years, most of which combine ideas from random maximum likelihood (RML) and ensemble-based techniques. Unlike previous implementations, we pose the history matching problem as a full nonlinear least squares optimization problem and classical Levenberg-Marquardt (LM) algorithm is used as the optimization solver. By showing the that solution of the linearized least squares subproblems arising from each iteration has similar structure to that of standard ES update equation, we propose to use ES as the linear least squares solver to avoid the expensive adjoint calculation. In this way, the proposed algorithm can be considered as an iterative ES and the regularization parameter can be updated following the standard LM rule. Furthermore, because it is casted as an optimization problem, it is straightforward to extend it to robust nonlinear least squares method that can automatically estimate the measurement noise level and reduce the effect of outliers in the data that is essential for field applications. Two synthetic reservoir models are used to showcase the effectiveness and robustness of the newly developed algorithm.

Abstract: This book presents a comprehensive exploration of quantum cryptography as an emergent paradigm in secure communications, enhanced through the integration of quantum computing and machine learning methodologies. Grounded in the principles of quantum mechanics—superposition, entanglement, and the no-cloning theorem—it develops a conceptual and mathematical framework for information-theoretic security resistant to both classical and quantum adversaries. The work identifies the limitations of classical cryptographic systems in the advent of large-scale quantum computation and proposes hybrid architectures that leverage machine learning for adaptive threat detection, protocol optimization, and anomaly classification in quantum key distribution (QKD) environments. Methodologically, the text synthesizes theoretical analysis, formal security proofs, and empirical evaluation using both quantum simulation platforms and experimental testbeds. Key results demonstrate that quantum–machine learning synergies can improve key generation rates, enhance noise tolerance, and accelerate real-time countermeasure deployment. The implications extend to the design of scalable, interoperable cryptographic systems compatible with emerging quantum internet infrastructures, while also addressing ethical and regulatory considerations in deployment. By combining rigorous academic analysis with practical implementation insights, this book establishes a scholarly and applied foundation for next-generation secure communication systems in the quantum era. Keywords Quantum cryptography, quantum key distribution, quantum computing, machine learning, quantum machine learning, cryptographic security, post-quantum cryptography, hybrid architectures, adaptive protocol optimization, information-theoretic security, secure communications, quantum internet, ethical implications in cryptography

Predictive route choice control of destination coded vehicles with mixed integer linear programming optimization

This paper introduces a novel approach for solving high-dimensional nonlinear optimization problems by integrating neural networks into the optimization process. The method leverages the capabilities of neural networks to efficiently handle complex, high-dimensional data and to approximate discrete numerical solutions of nonlinear optimization problems using continuous functions. By combining the nonlinear mapping ability of neural networks with iterative optimization algorithms, the proposed approach provides a superior method to solve nonlinear optimization problems. The paper demonstrates the adaptability of neural network-based solution methods in solving various nonlinear optimization problems and illustrates that the method can be applied to many different problem scenarios. The effectiveness and correctness of the proposed method are demonstrated through examples.

Yager family of t-norms is a parametric family of continuous nilpotent t-norms which is also one of the most frequently applied one. This family of t-norms is strictly increasing in its parameter and covers the whole spectrum of t-norms when the parameter is changed from zero to infinity. In this paper, we study a nonlinear optimization problem where the feasible region is formed as a system of fuzzy relational equations (FRE) defined by the Yager t-norm. We firstly investigate the resolution of the feasible region when it is defined with max-Yager composition and present some necessary and sufficient conditions for determining the feasibility and some procedures for simplifying the problem. Since the feasible solutions set of FREs is non-convex and the finding of all minimal solutions is an NP-hard problem, conventional nonlinear programming methods may involve high computation complexity. For these reasons, a method is used, which preserves the feasibility of new generated solutions. The proposed method does not need to initially find the minimal solutions. Also, it does not need to check the feasibility after generating the new solutions. Moreover, we present a technique to generate feasible max-Yager FREs as test problems for evaluating the performance of the current algorithm. The proposed method has been compared with Lu and Fang’s algorithm. The obtained results confirm the high performance of the proposed method in solving such nonlinear problems.