A generic branch-and-cut algorithm for multiobjective optimization problems: Application to the multilabel traveling Salesman Problem

This paper describes a generic branch-and-cut algorithm applicable to the solution of multiobjective optimization problems for which a lower bound can be defined as a polynomially solvable multiobjective problem. The algorithm closely follows standard branch and cut except for the definition of the lower and upper bounds and some optional speed-up mechanisms. It is applied to a routing problem called the multilabel traveling salesman problem, a variant of the traveling salesman problem in which labels are attributed to the edges. The goal is to find a Hamiltonian cycle that minimizes the tour length and the number of labels in the tour. Implementations of the generic multiobjective branch-and-cut algorithm and speed-up mechanisms are described. Computational experiments are conducted, and the method is compared to the classical ε-constraint method.