The paper introduces BUMEX, a reinforcement learning exploration strategy that leverages a set of prior models containing the true transition kernel and reward function. By optimizing over this model set, the method derives upper and lower bounds on the Q‑function to guide exploration, providing theoretical guarantees of convergence to the optimal policy. When the model set follows a bounded‑parameter MDP structure, the optimization becomes convex, enabling finite‑time convergence under mild assumptions and demonstrating accelerated learning in simulations.
By J. S. van Hulst, W. P. M. H. Heemels, D. J. Antunes
arXiv:2607. 08340v1 Announce Type: cross Abstract: Q-learning is a fundamental algorithm in reinforcement learning (RL) for solving discounted Markov decision processes (MDPs) when the transition kernel is unknown.
By Donghwan Lee
The paper introduces state abstractions that preserve the difference of Q‑functions for offline reinforcement learning, aiming to exclude irrelevant dynamics from rich state data. It proposes a dynamic generalization of the R‑learner that uses orthogonal estimation and sparse learning to estimate the Q‑function contrast, achieving faster convergence and consistency under a margin condition. Experiments on simulated and simulator‑augmented real data show variance reductions and demonstrate that the necessary information for sequential decision‑making can be smaller than that required for full state prediction.
By Defu Cao, Angela Zhou
The paper investigates model‑free robust Q‑learning with χ² uncertainty sets and linear function approximation, using data from a single trajectory of an unknown nominal MDP. It introduces a variational reformulation of the robust Bellman target and a blockwise frozen‑target scheme to overcome estimation and non‑contractivity challenges, and proves a finite‑time error bound for every discount factor γ in (0,1). A neural‑network experiment demonstrates the practical use of the variational target in a continuous‑state nonlinear‑control task.
By Saptarshi Mandal, Yashaswini Murthy, R. Srikant
arXiv:2606. 29806v1 Announce Type: cross Abstract: Action-values are foundational to many control algorithms such as Q-learning.
By Prabhat Nagarajan, Brett Daley, Martha White, Marlos C. Machado
The paper introduces reinforcement learning for Continuous-Time Jump Markov Decision Processes (CTJMDPs) with general discrete state spaces and continuous/discrete actions. It develops entropy‑regularized continuous‑time control and establishes theoretical foundations for q‑learning in this setting, providing model‑free algorithms that outperform naive discretization. Numerical tests on network dynamic pricing demonstrate the method’s ability to learn near‑optimal policies and scale to large networks.
By Huiling Meng, Ningyuan Chen, Xuefeng Gao
The paper investigates continuous‑time stochastic control problems with unknown drift and running reward functions, using an exploratory reinforcement learning framework that incorporates relaxed controls and entropy regularization. It develops policy‑iteration algorithms based on probabilistic representations of the optimal value function and its gradient, proving convergence and demonstrating performance through numerical examples. The study also extends to a special case with control‑dependent diffusion, requiring a Hessian representation.
By Jin Ma, Gaozhan Wang, Jianfeng Zhang, Xunyu Zhou
arXiv:2608. 14401v1 Announce Type: cross Abstract: In offline RL, estimating the optimal action-value function $Q^*$ can be formulated as solving the optimal Bellman equation based solely on offline observations.
By Xiaohong Chen, Yuling Jiao, Lican Kang, Jerry Zhijian Yang, Chen Zhong
arXiv:2601. 22970v2 Announce Type: replace-cross Abstract: Policies learned via continuous actor-critic methods often exhibit erratic, high-frequency oscillations, making them unsuitable for physical deployment.
By Jeong Woon Lee, Kyoleen Kwak, Daeho Kim, Hyoseok Hwang
arXiv:2511. 03836v2 Announce Type: replace Abstract: Deep Q-Networks (DQNs) estimate future returns by learning from transitions sampled from a replay buffer.
By Lipeng Zu, Hansong Zhou, Xiaonan Zhang
arXiv:2608.22636v1 Announce Type: cross
Abstract: Q-learning with linear function approximation can be unstable because an arbitrary approximation architecture need not preserve the Bellman contracti...
By Shengbo Wang
arXiv:2506. 13862v2 Announce Type: replace-cross Abstract: In Reinforcement Learning (RL), regularization with a Kullback-Leibler divergence that penalizes large deviations between successive policies has emerged as a popular tool both in theory and practice.
By Alex Davey, Alena Shilova, Brahim Driss, Riad Akrour