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Optimization of a linear function subject to affine constraints and membership in a closed convex cone. Choosing the positive semidefinite cone gives semidefinite programming; other choices include copositive optimization and completely positive optimization. Dual cones produce scalar-product bounds on feasible objectives.

Let $\alpha =\min \{x^{T}Qx:x\ge 0,\Vert x{\Vert }_2=1\}$ for a real symmetric matrix $Q$. Compactness gives attainment. Homogeneity shows $Q-\lambda I$ is a copositive matrix exactly when $\lambda \le \alpha$, provingIts conic program dual is the trace-normalized completely positive optimization problem. A minimizing vector gives $X=x{x}^T$, which certifies equality and dual attainment directly. In general $\alpha$ differs from the unrestricted smallest eigenvalue.

For $X$ in the dual cone $C$, copositivity of $Q-\lambda I$ gives $⟨X,Q-\lambda I{⟩}_F\ge 0$. An upper-bounding Lagrangian for the maximization is thereforeIts supremum over unrestricted $\lambda$ is finite precisely when $\mathrm{tr}X=1$. Minimizing that upper bound gives the conic programThis is completely positive optimization, not simply semidefinite programming: $C$ is the completely positive cone.

There is also a direct equality certificate. Every feasible $X={\sum }_j{u}_j{u}_j^T$, $u_j\ge 0$, has ${\sum }_j\Vert u_j{\Vert }_2^2=1$. Its objective is a weighted average of the nonnegative-sphere Rayleigh quotients, hence is at least $\alpha$. For a minimizing unit vector $x_{\ast }$ from part (g), $X_{\ast }=x_{\ast }{x}_{\ast }^T$ is feasible and has objective $\alpha$. Thus $\boxed{X_{\ast }=x_{\ast }{x}_{\ast }^T}$ attains the dual and both values agree, without relying on unverified regularity assumptions.