Research Area:  Metaheuristic Computing
This paper proposes a novel global optimization algorithm called Lichtenberg Algorithm (LA), inspired by the Lichtenberg figures patterns. Optimization is an essential tool to minimize or maximize functions, obtaining optimal results on costs, mass, energy, gains, among others. Actual problems may be multimodal, nonlinear, and discontinuous and may not be minimized by classical analytical methods that depend on the gradient. In this context there are metaheuristics algorithms inspired by natural phenomena to optimize real problems. There is no algorithm that is the worst or the best, but more efficient for a given type of problem. Thus, an unprecedented metaheuristic algorithm was created inspired by the physical phenomenon of radial intra-cloud lightning and Lichtenberg figures, successfully exploiting the fractal power and it is different from many in the literature as it is a hybrid algorithm composed of methods of search based on population and trajectory. Several test functions, including a design problem in a welded beam, were used to verify the robustness and to validate the Lichtenberg Algorithm. In all cases, the results were satisfactory when compared to those in the literature. LA shown to be a powerful optimization tool for both unconstraint optimizations and real problems with linear and nonlinear constraints.
Keywords:  
Lichtenberg Algorithm
Lichtenberg Figures
Lightning
Limited Diffusion Aggregation
Optimization
Metaheuristics
Author(s) Name:  Joao Luiz Junho Pereira, Matheus Brendon Francisco, Camila Aparecida Diniz , Guilherme Antonio Oliver, Sebastiao Simoes Cunha Jr, Guilherme Ferreira Gomes
Journal name:  Expert Systems with Applications
Conferrence name:  
Publisher name:  ELSEVIER
DOI:  10.1016/j.eswa.2020.114522
Volume Information:  Volume 170
Paper Link:   https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0957417420311660