New Optimization Algorithms in Physics

The Potts Model is used for Solving Hard Max-cut Problems and Finding Low-energy Configurations and for Computing the Potts Free Energy and Submodular Functions, both of which have applications in physics and engineering.

Abstract

Many physicists are not aware of the fact that they can solve their problems by applying optimization algorithms. Since the number of such algorithms is steadily increasing, many new algorithms have not been presented comprehensively until now. This presentation of recently developed algorithms applied in physics, including demonstrations of how they work and related results, aims to encourage their application, and as such the algorithms selected cover concepts and methods from statistical physics to optimization problems emerging in theoretical computer science.