The theory of controlled processes is one of the most recent mathematical theories to show very important applications in modern engineering, parti cularly for constructing automatic control systems, as well as for problems of economic control. However, actual systems subject to control do not admit a strictly deterministic analysis in view of random factors of various kinds which influence their behavior. Such factors include, for example, random noise occurring in the electrical system, variations in the supply and demand of commodities, fluctuations in the labor force in economics, and random failures of components on an automated line. The theory of con trolled processes takes the random nature of the behavior of a system into account. In such cases it is natural, when choosing a control strategy, to proceed from the average expected result, taking note of all the possible variants of the behavior of a controlled system. An extensive literature is devoted to various economic and engineering systems of control (some of these works are listed in the Bibliography). is no text which adequately covers the general However, as of now there mathematical theory of controlled processes. The authors ofthis monograph have attempted to fill this gap. In this volume the general theory of discrete-parameter (time) controlled processes (Chapter 1) and those with continuous-time (Chapter 2), as well as the theory of controlled stochastic differential equations (Chapter 3), are presented.

World leading experts give their accounts of the modern mathematical models in the field: Markov Decision Processes, controlled diffusions, piece-wise deterministic processes etc, with a wide range of performance functionals. One of the aims is to give a general view on the state-of-the-art. The authors use Dynamic Programming, Convex Analytic Approach, several numerical methods, index-based approach and so on. Most chapters either contain well developed examples, or are entirely devoted to the application of the mathematical control theory to real life problems from such fields as Insurance, Portfolio Optimization and Information Transmission. The book will enable researchers, academics and research students to get a sense of novel results, concepts, models, methods, and applications of controlled stochastic processes.

This book consists of a series of new, peer-reviewed papers in stochastic processes, analysis, filtering and control, with particular emphasis on mathematical finance, actuarial science and engineering. Paper contributors include colleagues, collaborators and former students of Robert Elliott, many of whom are world-leading experts and have made fundamental and significant contributions to these areas.This book provides new important insights and results by eminent researchers in the considered areas, which will be of interest to researchers and practitioners. The topics considered will be diverse in applications, and will provide contemporary approaches to the problems considered. The areas considered are rapidly evolving. This volume will contribute to their development, and present the current state-of-the-art stochastic processes, analysis, filtering and control.Contributing authors include: H Albrecher, T Bielecki, F Dufour, M Jeanblanc, I Karatzas, H-H Kuo, A Melnikov, E Platen, G Yin, Q Zhang, C Chiarella, W Fleming, D Madan, R Mamon, J Yan, V Krishnamurthy.

Stochastic control theory is a relatively young branch of mathematics. The beginning of its intensive development falls in the late 1950s and early 1960s. ~urin~ that period an extensive literature appeared on optimal stochastic control using the quadratic performance criterion (see references in Wonham [76]). At the same time, Girsanov [25] and Howard [26] made the first steps in constructing a general theory, based on Bellman's technique of dynamic programming, developed by him somewhat earlier [4]. Two types of engineering problems engendered two different parts of stochastic control theory. Problems of the first type are associated with multistep decision making in discrete time, and are treated in the theory of discrete stochastic dynamic programming. For more on this theory, we note in addition to the work of Howard and Bellman, mentioned above, the books by Derman [8], Mine and Osaki [55], and Dynkin and Yushkevich [12]. Another class of engineering problems which encouraged the development of the theory of stochastic control involves time continuous control of a dynamic system in the presence of random noise. The case where the system is described by a differential equation and the noise is modeled as a time continuous random process is the core of the optimal control theory of diffusion processes. This book deals with this latter theory.

This self-contained, practical, entry-level text integrates the basic principles of applied mathematics, applied probability, and computational science for a clear presentation of stochastic processes and control for jump diffusions in continuous time. The author covers the important problem of controlling these systems and, through the use of a jump calculus construction, discusses the strong role of discontinuous and nonsmooth properties versus random properties in stochastic systems.

This book offers a systematic introduction to the optimal stochastic control theory via the dynamic programming principle, which is a powerful tool to analyze control problems. First we consider completely observable control problems with finite horizons. Using a time discretization we construct a nonlinear semigroup related to the dynamic programming principle (DPP), whose generator provides the Hamilton–Jacobi–Bellman (HJB) equation, and we characterize the value function via the nonlinear semigroup, besides the viscosity solution theory. When we control not only the dynamics of a system but also the terminal time of its evolution, control-stopping problems arise. This problem is treated in the same frameworks, via the nonlinear semigroup. Its results are applicable to the American option price problem. Zero-sum two-player time-homogeneous stochastic differential games and viscosity solutions of the Isaacs equations arising from such games are studied via a nonlinear semigroup related to DPP (the min-max principle, to be precise). Using semi-discretization arguments, we construct the nonlinear semigroups whose generators provide lower and upper Isaacs equations. Concerning partially observable control problems, we refer to stochastic parabolic equations driven by colored Wiener noises, in particular, the Zakai equation. The existence and uniqueness of solutions and regularities as well as Itô's formula are stated. A control problem for the Zakai equations has a nonlinear semigroup whose generator provides the HJB equation on a Banach space. The value function turns out to be a unique viscosity solution for the HJB equation under mild conditions. This edition provides a more generalized treatment of the topic than does the earlier book Lectures on Stochastic Control Theory (ISI Lecture Notes 9), where time-homogeneous cases are dealt with. Here, for finite time-horizon control problems, DPP was formulated as a one-parameter nonlinear semigroup, whose generator provides the HJB equation, by using a time-discretization method. The semigroup corresponds to the value function and is characterized as the envelope of Markovian transition semigroups of responses for constant control processes. Besides finite time-horizon controls, the book discusses control-stopping problems in the same frameworks.

Stochastic control is a very active area of research. This monograph, written by two leading authorities in the field, has been updated to reflect the latest developments. It covers effective numerical methods for stochastic control problems in continuous time on two levels, that of practice and that of mathematical development. It is broadly accessible for graduate students and researchers.