An Optimal Control Problem of Knowledge Dissemination

The paper is devoted to an analysis of a new constraint qualification and a derivation of the strongest existing optimality conditions for nonsmooth mathematical programming problems with equality and inequality constraints in terms of Demyanov-Rubinov-Polyakova quasidifferentials under the minimal possible assumptions. To this end, we obtain a novel description of convex subcones of the contingent cone to a set defined by quasidifferentiable equality and inequality constraints with the use of a new constraint qualification. We utilize these description and constraint qualification to derive the strongest existing optimality conditions for nonsmooth mathematical programming problems in terms of quasidifferentials under less restrictive assumptions than in previous studies. The main feature of the new constraint qualification and related optimality conditions is the fact that they depend on individual elements of quasidifferentials of the objective function and constraints and are not invariant with respect to the choise of quasidifferentials. To illustrate the theoretical results, we present two simple examples in which optimality conditions in terms of various subdifferentials (in fact, any outer semicontinuous/limiting subdifferential) are satisfied at a nonoptimal point, while the optimality conditions obtained in this paper do not hold true at this point, that is, optimality conditions in terms of quasidifferentials, unlike the ones in terms of subdifferentials, detect the nonoptimality of this point.

Some second-order necessary conditions in optimal control

In the classical (“smooth”) mathematical analysis, a differentiable function is studied by means of the derivative (gradient in the multidimensional space). In the case of nondifferentiable functions, the tools of nonsmooth analysis are to be employed. In convex analysis and minimax theory, the corresponding classes of functions are investigated by means of the subdifferential (it is a convex set in the dual space), quasidifferentiable functions are treated via the notion of quasidifferential (which is a pair of sets). To study an arbitrary directionally differentiable function, the notions of upper and lower exhausters (each of them being a family of convex sets) are used. It turns out that conditions for a minimum are described by an upper exhauster, while conditions for a maximum are stated in terms of a lower exhauster. This is why an upper exhauster is called a proper one for the minimization problem (and an adjoint exhauster for the maximization problem) while a lower exhauster will be referred to as a proper one for the maximization problem (and an adjoint exhauster for the minimization problem). The directional derivatives (and hence, exhausters) provide first-order approximations of the increment of the function under study. These approximations are positively homogeneous as functions of direction. They allow one to formulate optimality conditions, to find steepest ascent and descent directions, to construct numerical methods. However, if, for example, the maximizer of the function is to be found, but one has an upper exhauster (which is not proper for the maximization problem), it is required to use a lower exhauster. Instead, one can try to express conditions for a maximum in terms of upper exhauster (which is an adjoint one for the maximization problem). The first to get such conditions was Roshchina. New optimality conditions in terms of adjoint exhausters were recently obtained by Abbasov. The exhauster mappings are, in general, discontinuous in the Hausdorff metric, therefore, computational problems arise. To overcome these difficulties, the notions of upper and lower coexhausters are used. They provide first-order approximations of the increment of the function which are not positively homogeneous any more. These approximations also allow one to formulate optimality conditions, to find ascent and descent directions (but not the steepest ones), to construct numerical methods possessing good convergence properties. Conditions for a minimum are described in terms of an upper coexhauster (which is, therefore, called a proper coexhauster for the minimization problem) while conditions for a maximum are described in terms of a lower coexhauster (which is called a proper one for the maximization problem). In the present paper, we derive optimality conditions in terms of adjoint coexhausters.

In the research of optimization problems, optimality conditions play an important role. By using some derivatives, various types of necessary and/or sufficient optimality conditions have been introduced by many researchers. Especially, in convex programming, necessary and sufficient optimality conditions in terms of the subdifferential have been studied extensively. Recently, necessary and sufficient optimality conditions for quasiconvex programming have been investigated by the authors. However, there are not so many results concerned with Karush–Kuhn–Tucker type optimality conditions for non-differentiable quasiconvex programming. In this paper, we study a Karush–Kuhn–Tucker type optimality condition for quasiconvex programming in terms of Greenberg–Pierskalla subdifferential. We show some closedness properties for Greenberg–Pierskalla subdifferential. Under the Slater constraint qualification, we show a necessary and sufficient optimality condition for essentially quasiconvex programming in terms of Greenberg–Pierskalla subdifferential. Additionally, we introduce a necessary and sufficient constraint qualification of the optimality condition. As a corollary, we show a necessary and sufficient optimality condition for convex programming in terms of the subdifferential.

This paper deals with second-order optimality conditions for a quasilinear elliptic control problem with a nonlinear coefficient in the principal part that is finitely PC2 (continuous and C2 apart from finitely many points). We prove that the control-to-state operator is continuously differentiable even though the nonlinear coefficient is non-smooth. This enables us to establish “no-gap” second-order necessary and sufficient optimality conditions in terms of an abstract curvature functional, i.e., for which the sufficient condition only differs from the necessary one in the fact that the inequality is strict. A condition that is equivalent to the second-order sufficient optimality condition and could be useful for error estimates in, e.g., finite element discretizations is also provided.

This is a survey of high‐order necessary optimality conditions for control problems with inequality and equality terminal constraints. Both classical and Pontryagin extremals are considered. For classical extremals, the characteristics of necessary optimality conditions in terms of variations are given, and the investigations devoted to Kelley's conditions are discussed in detail. For Pontryagin extremals, two types of results are given: generalizations and extensions of matrix impulse optimality condition and high‐order maximum principle.

In this paper, we have pointed out that the proof of Theorem 11 in the recent paper (Lafhim in Positivity, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11117-019-00685-1 ) is erroneous. Using techniques from variational analysis, we propose other proofs to detect necessary optimality conditions in terms of Karush–Kuhn–Tucker multipliers. Our main results are given in terms of the limiting subdifferentials and the limiting normal cones. Completely detailed first order necessary optimality conditions are then given in the smooth setting while using the generalized differentiation calculus of Mordukhovich.

In this paper, wavelet techniques are employed for the fast numerical solution of a control problem governed by an elliptic boundary value problem with boundary control. A quadratic cost functional involving natural norms of the state and the control is to be minimized. Firstly the constraint, the elliptic boundary value problem, is formulated in an appropriate weak form that allows to handle varying boundary conditions explicitly: the boundary conditions are treated by Lagrange multipliers, leading to a saddle point problem. This is combined with a fictitious domain approach in order to cover also more complicated boundaries. Deviating from standard approaches, we then use (biorthogonal) wavelets to derive an equivalent infinite discretized control problem which involves only e2-norms and -operators. Classical methods from optimization yield the corresponding optimality conditions in terms of two weakly coupled (still infinite) saddle point problems for which a unique solution exists. For deriving finite-dimensional systems which are uniformly invertible, stability of the discretizations has to be ensured. This together with the e2-setting circumvents the problem of preconditioning: all operators have uniformly bounded condition numbers independent of the discretization. In order to numerically solve the resulting (finite-dimensional) linear system of the weakly coupled saddle point problems, a fully iterative method is proposed which can be viewed as an inexact gradient scheme. It consists of a gradient algorithm as an outer iteration which alternatingly picks the two saddle point problems, and an inner iteration to solve each of the saddle point problems, exemplified in terms of the Uzawa algorithm. It is proved here that this strategy converges, provided that the inner systems are solved sufficiently well. Moreover, since the system matrix is well-conditioned, it is shown that in combination with a nested iteration strategy this iteration is asymptotically optimal in the sense that it provides the solution on discretization level J with an overall amount of arithmetic operations that is proportional to the number of unknows NJ on that level. Finally, numerical results are provided.

In this paper, we study an optimal control problem for a two-dimensional Cahn-Hilliard-Darcy system with mass sources that arises in the modeling of tumor growth. The aim is to monitor the tumor fraction in a finite time interval in such a way that both the tumor fraction, measured in terms of a tracking type cost functional, is kept under control and minimal harm is inflicted to the patient by administering the control, which could either be a drug or nutrition. We first prove that the optimal control problem admits a solution. Then we show that the control-to-state operator is Fr\'echet differentiable between suitable Banach spaces and derive the first-order necessary optimality conditions in terms of the adjoint variables and the usual variational inequality.

Legendre spectral-collocation method for solving some types of fractional optimal control problems

The conjugate point is an important global concept in the calculus of variations and optimal control. In these extremal problems, the variable is not a vector in Rn but a function. So a simple and natural question arises. Is it possible to establish a conjugate points theory for a nonlinear programming problem, Min f(x) on x\in R^n$? This paper positively answers this question. We introduce the Jacobi equation and conjugate points for the nonlinear programming problem, and we describe necessary and sufficient optimality conditions in terms of conjugate points.

The field-dependent relaxation dynamics of suspended magnetic nanoparticles continues to present a fascinating topic of basic science that at the same time is highly relevant for several technological and biomedical applications. Renewed interest in the intriguing behavior of magnetic nanoparticles in response to external fields has at least in parts be driven by rapid advances in magnetic fluid hyperthermia research. Although a wealth of experimental, theoretical, and simulation studies have been performed in this field in recent years, several contradictory findings have so far prevented the emergence of a consistent picture. Here, we present a dynamic mean-field theory together with comprehensive computer simulations of a microscopic model system to systematically discuss the influence of several key parameters on the relaxation dynamics, such as steric and dipolar interactions, the external magnetic field strength and frequency, as well as the ratio of Brownian and Néel relaxation time. We also discuss the specific and intrinsic loss power as measures of the efficiency of magnetic fluid heating and discuss optimality conditions in terms of fluid and field parameters. Our results are helpful to reconcile contradictory findings in the literature and provide an important step towards a more consistent understanding. In addition, our findings also help to select experimental conditions that optimize magnetic fluid heating applications.

The subgradient, under strict efficiency, of a set-valued mapping is developed, and the existence of the subgradient is proved. Optimality conditions in terms of Lagrange multipliers for a strictly efficient point are established in the general case and in the case with ic-cone-convexlike data.

The expectation functionals, which arise in risk-neutral bi-level stochastic linear models with random lower-level right-hand side, are known to be continuously differentiable, if the underlying probability measure has a Lebesgue density. We show that the gradient may fail to be local Lipschitz continuous under this assumption. Our main result provides sufficient conditions for Lipschitz continuity of the gradient of the expectation functional and paves the way for a second-order optimality condition in terms of generalized Hessians. Moreover, we study geometric properties of regions of strong stability and derive representation results, which may facilitate the computation of gradients.

In this paper, we obtain a new scalar representation of set-valued optimization problems by using a criterion of solution introduced by Kuroiwa, this criterion is a weaker version of Pareto efficient solution. Following this scalarization, we establish necessary optimality conditions in terms of Fritz John multipliers as well as Karush-Kuhn-Tucker multipliers. Moreover, we give sufficient optimality conditions.