This paper presents an improved extremal optimization (IEO) algorithm for solving the asymmetric traveling salesman problem (ATSP). At each update step, the IEO algorithm proceeds through two main steps: extremal dynamics and cooperative optimization. As an improvement of extremal optimization...

By mapping the optimization problems to physical systems, the paper presents a general-purpose stochastic optimization method with extremal dynamics. It is built up with the traveling salesman problem (TSP) being a typical NP-complete problem. As self-organized critical processes of extremal...