This volume presents state-of-the-art reports on the theory, and current and future applications of control of distributed parameter systems. The papers cover the progress not only in traditional methodology and pure research in control theory, but also the rapid growth of its importance for different applications. This title will be of interest to researchers working in the areas of mathematics, automatic control, computer science and engineering.

Control of Distributed Parameter Systems 1982 covers the proceeding of the Third International Federation of Automatic Control (IFAC) Symposium on Control of Distributed Parameter Systems. The book reviews papers that tackle issues concerning the control of distributed parameter systems, such as modeling, identification, estimation, stabilization, optimization, and energy system. The topics that the book tackles include notes on optimal and estimation result of nonlinear systems; approximation of the parameter identification problem in distributed parameters systems; and optimal control of a punctually located heat source. This text also encompasses the stabilization of nonlinear parabolic equations and the decoupling approach to the control of large spaceborne antenna systems. Stability of Hilbert space contraction semigroups and the tracking problem in the fractional representation approach are also discussed. This book will be of great interest to researchers and professionals whose work concerns automated control systems.

The Workshop on Parameter Identification and Inverse Problems in Hydrology, Geology and Ecology, Karlsruhe, April 10-12, 1995, was organized to bring to gether an interdisciplinary group drawn from the areas of science, engineering and mathematics for the following purposes: - to promote, encourage and influence more understanding and cooperation in the community of parameter identifiers from various disciplines, - to forge unity in diversity by bringing together a variety of disciplines that attempt to understand the reconstruction of inner model parameters, un known nonlinear constitutive relations, heterogeneous structures inside of geological objects, sources or sinks from observational data, - to discuss modern regularization tools for handling improperly posed pro blems and strategies of incorporating a priori knowledge from the applied problem into the model and its treatment. These proceedings contain some of the results of the workshop, representing a bal anced selection of contributions from the various groups of participants. The reviewed invited and contributed articles are grouped according to the broad headings of hydrology, non-linear diffusion and soil physics, geophysical methods, mathematical analysis of inverse and ill-posed problems and parallel algorithms for inverse problems. Some of the issues adressed by the articles in these proceedings include the rela tion between least squares and direct formulations of inverse problems for partial differential equations, nonlinear regularization, identification of nonlinear consti tutive relations, fast parallel algorithms for large scale inverse problems, reduction of model structures, geostatistical inversion techniques.

This collection of expository papers encompasses both the theoretical and physical application side of inverse problems in diffusion processes.

Inverse problems arise in many disciplines and hold great importance to practical applications. However, sound new methods are needed to solve these problems. Over the past few years, Japanese and Korean mathematicians have obtained a number of very interesting and unique results in inverse problems. Inverse Problems and Related Topics compiles papers authored by some of the top researchers in Korea and Japan. It presents a number of original and useful results and offers a unique opportunity to explore the current trends of research in inverse problems in these countries. Highlighting the existence and active work of several Japanese and Korean groups, it also serves as a guide to those seeking future scientific exchange with researchers in these countries.

The research detailed in this monograph was originally motivated by our interest in control problems involving partial and delay differential equations. Our attempts to apply control theory techniques to such prob lems in several areas of science convinced us that in the need for better and more detailed models of distributed/ continuum processes in biology and mechanics lay a rich, interesting, and challenging class of fundamen tal questions. These questions, which involve science and mathematics, are typical of those arising in inverse or parameter estimation problems. Our efforts on inverse problems for distributed parameter systems, which are infinite dimensional in the most common realizations, began about seven years ago at a time when rapid advances in computing capabilities and availability held promise for significant progress in the development of a practically useful as well as theoretically sound methodology for such problems. Much of the research reported in our presentation was not begun when we outlined the plans for this monograph some years ago. By publishing this monograph now, when only a part of the originally intended topics are covered (see Chapter VII in this respect), we hope to stimulate the research and interest of others in an area of scientific en deavor which has exceeded even our optimistic expectations with respect to excitement, opportunity, and stimulation. The computer revolution alluded to above and the development of new codes allow one to solve rather routinely certain estimation problems that would have been out of the question ten years ago.

Control of Distributed Parameter Systems covers the proceedings of the Second IFAC Symposium, Coventry, held in Great Britain from June 28 to July 1, 1977. The book focuses on the methodologies, processes, and techniques in the control of distributed parameter systems, including boundary value control, digital transfer matrix, and differential equations. The selection first discusses the asymptotic methods in the optimal control of distributed systems; applications of distributed parameter control theory of a survey; and dual variational inequalities for external eigenvalue problems. The book also ponders on stochastic differential equations in Hilbert space and their application to delay systems and linear quadratic optimal control problem over an infinite time horizon for a class of distributed parameter systems. The manuscript investigates the semigroup approach to boundary value control and stability of nonlinear distributed parameter systems. Topics include boundary control action implemented through a dynamical system; classical boundary value controls; stability of nonlinear systems; and feedback control on the boundary. The text also focuses on the functional analysis interpretation of Lyapunov stability; method of multipliers for a class distributed parameter systems; and digital transfer matrix approach to distributed system simulation. The selection is a dependable source of data for readers interested in the control of distributed parameter systems.