Gaussian Harmony Search Algorithm: A Novel Method for Loney's Solenoid Problem

Harmony search (HS) is a novel heuristic algorithm that imitates the improvisation process of musicians. The feasibility of HS algorithm has already been proven on several benchmark problems. In this paper, HS is proposed to solve Loney's solenoid problem. To further enhance the convergence efficiency of HS, the improvisation with a Gaussian factor is employed. The newly developed algorithm, which is named Gaussian HS (GHS), can succeed in solving Loney's solenoid problem according to the numerical simulations. Comparative results show that our proposed GHS outperforms HS and particle swarm optimization in both the convergence speed and efficiency.