A characterization of maximal inhomogeneous-quadratic-free sets

Abstract

The intersection cut framework is a versatile tool for generating valid inequalities in optimization. Its main ingredients are so-called $S$-free sets: convex sets whose interiors do not intersect a given set $S$. Among these, inclusion-wise maximal $S$-free sets are particularly important, as they yield the strongest intersection cuts. In the integer programming setting, maximal lattice-free sets are well studied and admit explicit characterizations. In the quadratic optimization context, Muñoz, Paat, and Serrano (2025) characterized maximal $S$-free sets when $S$ is defined by a homogeneous quadratic inequality. In this work, we characterize maximal $S$-free sets when $S$ is defined by an inhomogeneous quadratic inequality. As in the homogeneous case, our characterization is built using non-expansive functions. Together with the results in the homogeneous case, our results complete a characterization of $every$ maximal quadratic-free set via non-expansive functions.