arXiv subjects

Silvia Gazzola

Publications and source records attributed to Silvia Gazzola.

27 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2019

An Inner-Outer Iterative Method for Edge Preservation in Image Restoration and Reconstruction

We present a new inner-outer iterative algorithm for edge enhancement in imaging problems. At each outer iteration, we formulate a Tikhonov-regularized problem where the penalization is expressed in the 2-norm and involves a regularization operator designed to improve edge resolution as the outer iterations progress, through an adaptive process. An efficient hybrid regularization method is used to project the Tikhonov-regularized problem onto approximation subspaces of increasing dimensions (inner iterations), while conveniently choosing the regularization parameter (by applying well-known techniques, such as the discrepancy principle or the ${\mathcal L}$-curve criterion, to the projected problem). This procedure results in an automated algorithm for edge recovery that does not involve regularization parameter tuning by the user, nor repeated calls to sophisticated optimization algorithms, and is therefore particularly attractive from a computational point of view. A key to the success of the new algorithm is the design of the regularization operator through the use of an adaptive diagonal weighting matrix that effectively enforces smoothness only where needed. We demonstrate the value of our approach on applications in X-ray CT image reconstruction and in image deblurring, and show that it can be computationally much more attractive than other well-known strategies for edge preservation, while providing solutions of greater or equal quality.

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arXiv2019

Krylov Methods for Low-Rank Regularization

This paper introduces new solvers for the computation of low-rank approximate solutions to large-scale linear problems, with a particular focus on the regularization of linear inverse problems. Although Krylov methods incorporating explicit projections onto low-rank subspaces are already used for well-posed systems that arise from discretizing stochastic or time-dependent PDEs, we are mainly concerned with algorithms that solve the so-called nuclear norm regularized problem, where a suitable nuclear norm penalization on the solution is imposed alongside a fit-to-data term expressed in the 2-norm: this has the effect of implicitly enforcing low-rank solutions. By adopting an iteratively reweighted norm approach, the nuclear norm regularized problem is reformulated as a sequence of quadratic problems, which can then be efficiently solved using Krylov methods, giving rise to an inner-outer iteration scheme. Our approach differs from the other solvers available in the literature in that: (a) Kronecker product properties are exploited to define the reweighted 2-norm penalization terms; (b) efficient preconditioned Krylov methods replace gradient (projection) methods; (c) the regularization parameter can be efficiently and adaptively set along the iterations. Furthermore, we reformulate within the framework of flexible Krylov methods both the new inner-outer methods for nuclear norm regularization and some of the existing Krylov methods incorporating low-rank projections. This results in an even more computationally efficient (but heuristic) strategy, that does not rely on an inner-outer iteration scheme. Numerical experiments show that our new solvers are competitive with other state-of-the-art solvers for low-rank problems, and deliver reconstructions of increased quality with respect to other classical Krylov methods.

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arXiv2019

Adaptive Regularization Parameter Choice Rules for Large-Scale Problems

This paper derives a new class of adaptive regularization parameter choice strategies that can be effectively and efficiently applied when regularizing large-scale linear inverse problems by combining standard Tikhonov regularization and projection onto Krylov subspaces of increasing dimension (computed by the Golub-Kahan bidiagonalization algorithm). The success of this regularization approach heavily depends on the accurate tuning of two parameters (namely, the Tikhonov parameter and the dimension of the projection subspace): these are simultaneously set using new strategies that can be regarded as special instances of bilevel optimization methods, which are solved by using a new paradigm that interlaces the iterations performed to project the Tikhonov problem (lower-level problem) with those performed to apply a given parameter choice rule (higher-level problem). The discrepancy principle, the GCV, the quasi-optimality criterion, and Regińska criterion can all be adapted to work in this framework. The links between Gauss quadrature and Golub-Kahan bidiagonalization are exploited to prove convergence results for the discrepancy principle, and to give insight into the behavior of the other considered regularization parameter choice rules. Several numerical tests modeling inverse problems in imaging show that the new parameter choice strategies lead to regularization methods that are reliable, and intrinsically simpler and cheaper than other strategies already available in the literature.

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arXiv2018

IR Tools: A MATLAB Package of Iterative Regularization Methods and Large-Scale Test Problems

This paper describes a new MATLAB software package of iterative regularization methods and test problems for large-scale linear inverse problems. The software package, called IR Tools, serves two related purposes: we provide implementations of a range of iterative solvers, including several recently proposed methods that are not available elsewhere, and we provide a set of large-scale test problems in the form of discretizations of 2D linear inverse problems. The solvers include iterative regularization methods where the regularization is due to the semi-convergence of the iterations, Tikhonov-type formulations where the regularization is explicitly formulated in the form of a regularization term, and methods that can impose bound constraints on the computed solutions. All the iterative methods are implemented in a very flexible fashion that allows the problem's coefficient matrix to be available as a (sparse) matrix, a function handle, or an object. The most basic call to all of the various iterative methods requires only this matrix and the right hand side vector; if the method uses any special stopping criteria, regularization parameters, etc., then default values are set automatically by the code. Moreover, through the use of an optional input structure, the user can also have full control of any of the algorithm parameters. The test problems represent realistic large-scale problems found in image reconstruction and several other applications. Numerical examples illustrate the various algorithms and test problems available in this package.

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arXiv2018

Flexible Krylov methods for $\ell_p$ regularization

In this paper we develop flexible Krylov methods for efficiently computing regularized solutions to large-scale linear inverse problems with an $\ell_2$ fit-to-data term and an $\ell_p$ penalization term, for $p\geq 1$. First we approximate the $p$-norm penalization term as a sequence of $2$-norm penalization terms using adaptive regularization matrices in an iterative reweighted norm fashion, and then we exploit flexible preconditioning techniques to efficiently incorporate the weight updates. To handle general (non-square) $\ell_p$-regularized least-squares problems, we introduce a flexible Golub-Kahan approach and exploit it within a Krylov-Tikhonov hybrid framework. The key benefits of our approach compared to existing optimization methods for $\ell_p$ regularization are that efficient projection methods replace inner-outer schemes and that expensive regularization parameter selection techniques can be avoided. Theoretical insights are provided, and numerical results from image deblurring and tomographic reconstruction illustrate the benefits of this approach, compared to well-established methods. Furthermore, we show that our approach for $p=1$ can be used to efficiently compute solutions that are sparse with respect to some transformations.

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arXiv2018

Arnoldi decomposition, GMRES, and preconditioning for linear discrete ill-posed problems

GMRES is one of the most popular iterative methods for the solution of large linear systems of equations that arise from the discretization of linear well-posed problems, such as Dirichlet boundary value problems for elliptic partial differential equations. The method is also applied to iteratively solve linear systems of equations that are obtained by discretizing linear ill-posed problems, such as many inverse problems. However, GMRES does not always perform well when applied to the latter kind of problems. This paper seeks to shed some light on reasons for the poor performance of GMRES in certain situations, and discusses some remedies based on specific kinds of preconditioning. The standard implementation of GMRES is based on the Arnoldi process, which also can be used to define a solution subspace for Tikhonov or TSVD regularization, giving rise to the Arnoldi-Tikhonov and Arnoldi-TSVD methods, respectively. The performance of the GMRES, the Arnoldi-Tikhonov, and the Arnoldi-TSVD methods is discussed. Numerical examples illustrate properties of these methods.

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arXiv2017

Some transpose-free CG-like solvers for nonsymmetric ill-posed problems

This paper introduces and analyzes an original class of Krylov subspace methods that provide an efficient alternative to many well-known conjugate-gradient-like (CG-like) Krylov solvers for square nonsymmetric linear systems arising from discretizations of inverse ill-posed problems. The main idea underlying the new methods is to consider some rank-deficient approximations of the transpose of the system matrix, obtained by running the (transpose-free) Arnoldi algorithm, and then apply some Krylov solvers to a formally right-preconditioned system of equations. Theoretical insight is given, and many numerical tests show that the new solvers outperform classical Arnoldi-based or CG-like methods in a variety of situations.

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arXiv2017

Fast nonnegative least squares through flexible Krylov subspaces

Constrained least squares problems arise in a variety of applications, and many iterative methods are already available to compute their solutions. This paper proposes a new efficient approach to solve nonnegative linear least squares problems. The associated KKT conditions are leveraged to form an adaptively preconditioned linear system, which is then solved by a flexible Krylov subspace method. The new method can be easily applied to image reconstruction problems affected by both Gaussian and Poisson noise, where the components of the solution represent nonnegative intensities. {Theoretical insight is given, and} numerical experiments and comparisons are displayed in order to validate the new method, which delivers results of equal or better quality than many state-of-the-art methods for nonnegative least squares solvers, with a significant speedup.

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arXiv2013

Embedded techniques for choosing the parameter in Tikhonov regularization

This paper introduces a new strategy for setting the regularization parameter when solving large-scale discrete ill-posed linear problems by means of the Arnoldi-Tikhonov method. This new rule is essentially based on the discrepancy principle, although no initial knowledge of the norm of the error that affects the right-hand side is assumed; an increasingly more accurate approximation of this quantity is recovered during the Arnoldi algorithm. Some theoretical estimates are derived in order to motivate our approach. Many numerical experiments, performed on classical test problems as well as image deblurring are presented.

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