Revisiting some rules of convex analysis (Q683299)

The author replaces the known global qualification conditions from convex analysis by a new approach in terms of pointwise outer semicontinuity of a conveniently defined multifunction. The rules holding without qualifications are examined after pointing some results on polar sets and conjugate functions. The geometric approach to the normal cone to the inverse image of a convex subset by a continuous linear map gives the main result of this paper. Also, new calculus rules for the subdifferential of a performance function are derived in classes of convex functions having a special composite form. The new conditions are compared with the existing ones in the literature, showing that a pointwise qualification rule derived in this paper is more efficient than a global qualification rule.