LogSpecT: Feasible Graph Learning Model from Stationary Signals with Recovery Guarantees

Graph learning from signals is a core task in graph signal processing (GSP). A significant subclass of graph signals called the stationary graph signals that broadens the concept of stationarity of data defined on regular domains to signals on graphs is gaining increasing popularity in the GSP community. The most commonly used model to learn graphs from these stationary signals is SpecT, which forms the foundation for nearly all the subsequent, more advanced models. Despite its strengths, the practical formulation of the model, known as rSpecT, has been identified to be susceptible to the choice of hyperparameters. More critically, it may suffer from infeasibility as an optimization problem. In this paper, we introduce the first condition that ensures the infeasibility of rSpecT and design a novel model called LogSpecT, along with its practical formulation rLogSpecT to overcome this issue. Contrary to rSpecT, our novel practical model rLogSpecT is always feasible. Furthermore, we provide recovery guarantees of rLogSpecT from modern optimization tools related to epi-convergence, which could be of independent interest and significant for various learning problems. To demonstrate the practical advantages of rLogSpecT, a highly efficient algorithm based on the linearized alternating direction method of multipliers (L-ADMM) that allows closed-form solutions for each subproblem is proposed with convergence guarantees. Extensive numerical results on both synthetic and real networks not only corroborate the stability of our proposed methods, but also highlight their comparable and even superior performance than existing models.