mlsanityData to 14 Oct 2026

Optimal Best-Arm Identification under Fixed Confidence with Multiple Optima

arXiv 2505.15643 ↗First posted 21 May 2025cs.LG cs.IT math.ITcited by 2

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Abstract (arXiv)

We study best-arm identification in stochastic multi-armed bandits under the fixed-confidence setting, focusing on instances with multiple optimal arms. Unlike prior work that addresses the unknown-number-of-optimal-arms case, we consider the setting where the number of optimal arms is known in advance. We derive a new information-theoretic lower bound on the expected sample complexity that leverages this structural knowledge and is strictly tighter than previous bounds. Building on the Track-and-Stop algorithm, we propose a modified, tie-aware stopping rule and prove that it achieves asymptotic instance-optimality, matching the new lower bound. Our results provide the first formal guarantee of optimality for Track-and-Stop in multi-optimal settings with known cardinality, offering both theoretical insights and practical guidance for efficiently identifying any optimal arm.

Key facts. Cited by 2 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026). Builds on 7 of its 19 references that are in the map. First posted on arXiv 21 May 2025.

Builds on

7 of 19 references.

References · 7

  1. 2014On the Complexity of Best Arm Identification in Multi-Armed Bandit Modelscited by 286
  2. 2016Optimal Best Arm Identification with Fixed Confidencecited by 239
  3. 2013lil' UCB : An Optimal Exploration Algorithm for Multi-Armed Banditscited by 149
  4. 2014Best-Arm Identification in Linear Banditscited by 100
  5. 2019Pure Exploration with Multiple Correct Answerscited by 64
  6. 2017Minimal Exploration in Structured Stochastic Banditscited by 41
  7. 2024Fair Best Arm Identification with Fixed Confidencecited by 3

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Citing papers per year: 2026: 2.

2 papers.