Multi-objective particle swarm and genetic algorithm for the optimization of the LANSCE linac operation

Particle swarm optimization (PSO) and genetic algorithm (GA) are both nature-inspired population based optimization methods. Compared to GA, whose long history can trace back to 1975, PSO is a relatively new heuristic search method first proposed in 1995. Due to its fast convergence rate in single objective optimization domain, the PSO method has been extended to optimize multi-objective problems. In this paper, we will introduce the PSO method and its multi-objective extension, the MOPSO, apply it along with the MOGA (mainly the NSGA-II) to simulations of the LANSCE linac and operational set point optimizations. Our tests show that both methods can provide very similar Pareto fronts but the MOPSO converges faster.