RESEARCH ARTICLE

First passage Markov decision processes with constraints and varying discount factors

  • Xiao WU 1,2 ,
  • Xiaolong ZOU 2 ,
  • Xianping GUO , 2
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  • 1. School of Mathematics and Statistics, Zhaoqing University, Zhaoqing 526061, China
  • 2. School of Mathematics and Computational Science, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China

Received date: 28 Jan 2015

Accepted date: 20 Apr 2015

Published date: 05 Jun 2015

Copyright

2014 Higher Education Press and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

Abstract

This paper focuses on the constrained optimality problem (COP) of first passage discrete-time Markov decision processes (DTMDPs) in denumerable state and compact Borel action spaces with multi-constraints, state-dependent discount factors, and possibly unbounded costs. By means of the properties of a so-called occupation measure of a policy, we show that the constrained optimality problem is equivalent to an (infinite-dimensional) linear programming on the set of occupation measures with some constraints, and thus prove the existence of an optimal policy under suitable conditions. Furthermore, using the equivalence between the constrained optimality problem and the linear programming, we obtain an exact form of an optimal policy for the case of finite states and actions. Finally, as an example, a controlled queueing system is given to illustrate our results.

Cite this article

Xiao WU , Xiaolong ZOU , Xianping GUO . First passage Markov decision processes with constraints and varying discount factors[J]. Frontiers of Mathematics in China, 2015 , 10(4) : 1005 -1023 . DOI: 10.1007/s11464-015-0479-6

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