The generalized Favard problem.
We review some techniques from non-linear analysis in order to investigate critical paths for the action functional in the calculus of variations applied to physics. Our main intention in this regard is to expose precise mathematical conditions for critical paths to be minimum solutions in a variety of situations of interest in Physics. Our claim is that, with a few elementary techniques, a systematic analysis (including the domain for which critical points are genuine minima) of non-trivial models...
The motivation of this article is double. First of all we provide a geometrical framework to the application of the smooth continuation method in optimal control, where the concept of conjugate points is related to the convergence of the method. In particular, it can be applied to the analysis of the global optimality properties of the geodesic flows of a family of Riemannian metrics. Secondly, this study is used to complete the analysis of two-level dissipative quantum systems, where the system...
The motivation of this article is double. First of all we provide a geometrical framework to the application of the smooth continuation method in optimal control, where the concept of conjugate points is related to the convergence of the method. In particular, it can be applied to the analysis of the global optimality properties of the geodesic flows of a family of Riemannian metrics. Secondly, this study is used to complete the analysis of two-level dissipative quantum systems, where the system...
We consider the problem of constructing the optimal closed loop control in the time minimal control problem, with terminal constraint belonging to a manifold of codimension one, for systems of the form , and or , under generic assumptions. The analysis is localized near the terminal manifold and is developed to control a class of chemical systems.
Turnpike theorems deal with the optimality of trajectories reaching a singular solution, in calculus of variations or optimal control problems. For scalar calculus of variations problems in infinite horizon, linear with respect to the derivative, we use the theory of viscosity solutions of Hamilton-Jacobi equations to obtain a unique characterization of the value function. With this approach, we extend for the scalar case the classical result based on Green theorem, when there is uniqueness of the...
Turnpike theorems deal with the optimality of trajectories reaching a singular solution, in calculus of variations or optimal control problems. For scalar calculus of variations problems in infinite horizon, linear with respect to the derivative, we use the theory of viscosity solutions of Hamilton-Jacobi equations to obtain a unique characterization of the value function. With this approach, we extend for the scalar case the classical result based on Green theorem, when there is uniqueness of...