6,143 research outputs found
Synthesis for Constrained Nonlinear Systems using Hybridization and Robust Controllers on Simplices
In this paper, we propose an approach to controller synthesis for a class of
constrained nonlinear systems. It is based on the use of a hybridization, that
is a hybrid abstraction of the nonlinear dynamics. This abstraction is defined
on a triangulation of the state-space where on each simplex of the
triangulation, the nonlinear dynamics is conservatively approximated by an
affine system subject to disturbances. Except for the disturbances, this
hybridization can be seen as a piecewise affine hybrid system on simplices for
which appealing control synthesis techniques have been developed in the past
decade. We extend these techniques to handle systems subject to disturbances by
synthesizing and coordinating local robust affine controllers defined on the
simplices of the triangulation. We show that the resulting hybrid controller
can be used to control successfully the original constrained nonlinear system.
Our approach, though conservative, can be fully automated and is
computationally tractable. To show its effectiveness in practical applications,
we apply our method to control a pendulum mounted on a cart
Synthesis of Switching Protocols from Temporal Logic Specifications
We propose formal means for synthesizing switching protocols that determine the sequence in which the modes of a switched system are activated to satisfy certain high-level specifications in linear temporal logic. The synthesized protocols are robust against exogenous disturbances on the continuous dynamics. Two types of finite transition systems, namely under- and over-approximations, that abstract the behavior of the underlying continuous dynamics are defined. In particular, we show that the discrete synthesis problem for an under-approximation can be formulated as a model checking problem, whereas that for an over-approximation can be transformed into a two-player game. Both of these formulations are amenable to efficient, off-the-shelf software tools. By construction, existence of a discrete switching strategy for the discrete synthesis problem guarantees the existence of a continuous switching protocol for the continuous synthesis problem, which can be implemented at the continuous level to ensure the correctness of the nonlinear switched system. Moreover, the proposed framework can be straightforwardly extended to accommodate specifications that require reacting to possibly adversarial external events. Finally, these results are illustrated using three examples from different application domains
Asymptotic convergence of constrained primal–dual dynamics
This paper studies the asymptotic convergence properties of the primal–dual dynamics designed for solving constrained concave optimization problems using classical notions from stability analysis. We motivate the need for this study by providing an example that rules out the possibility of employing the invariance principle for hybrid automata to study asymptotic convergence. We understand the solutions of the primal–dual dynamics in the Caratheodory sense and characterize their existence, uniqueness, and continuity with respect to the initial condition. We use the invariance principle for discontinuous Caratheodory systems to establish that the primal–dual optimizers are globally asymptotically stable under the primal–dual dynamics and that each solution of the dynamics converges to an optimizer
Metastability, Criticality and Phase Transitions in brain and its Models
This essay extends the previously deposited paper "Oscillations, Metastability and Phase Transitions" to incorporate the theory of Self-organizing Criticality. The twin concepts of Scaling and Universality of the theory of nonequilibrium phase transitions is applied to the role of reentrant activity in neural circuits of cerebral cortex and subcortical neural structures
Non-equilibrium fixed points of coupled Ising models
Driven-dissipative systems are expected to give rise to non-equilibrium
phenomena that are absent in their equilibrium counterparts. However, phase
transitions in these systems generically exhibit an effectively classical
equilibrium behavior in spite of their non-equilibrium origin. In this paper,
we show that multicritical points in such systems lead to a rich and genuinely
non-equilibrium behavior. Specifically, we investigate a driven-dissipative
model of interacting bosons that possesses two distinct phase transitions: one
from a high- to a low-density phase---reminiscent of a liquid-gas
transition---and another to an antiferromagnetic phase. Each phase transition
is described by the Ising universality class characterized by an (emergent or
microscopic) symmetry. They, however, coalesce at a
multicritical point, giving rise to a non-equilibrium model of coupled
Ising-like order parameters described by a
symmetry. Using a dynamical renormalization-group approach, we show that a pair
of non-equilibrium fixed points (NEFPs) emerge that govern the long-distance
critical behavior of the system. We elucidate various exotic features of these
NEFPs. In particular, we show that a generic continuous scale invariance at
criticality is reduced to a discrete scale invariance. This further results in
complex-valued critical exponents and spiraling phase boundaries, and it is
also accompanied by a complex Liouvillian gap even close to the phase
transition. As direct evidence of the non-equilibrium nature of the NEFPs, we
show that the fluctuation-dissipation relation is violated at all scales,
leading to an effective temperature that becomes "hotter" and "hotter" at
longer and longer wavelengths. Finally, we argue that this non-equilibrium
behavior can be observed in cavity arrays with cross-Kerr nonlinearities.Comment: 19+11 pages, 7+9 figure
Discrete scale invariance and complex dimensions
We discuss the concept of discrete scale invariance and how it leads to
complex critical exponents (or dimensions), i.e. to the log-periodic
corrections to scaling. After their initial suggestion as formal solutions of
renormalization group equations in the seventies, complex exponents have been
studied in the eighties in relation to various problems of physics embedded in
hierarchical systems. Only recently has it been realized that discrete scale
invariance and its associated complex exponents may appear ``spontaneously'' in
euclidean systems, i.e. without the need for a pre-existing hierarchy. Examples
are diffusion-limited-aggregation clusters, rupture in heterogeneous systems,
earthquakes, animals (a generalization of percolation) among many other
systems. We review the known mechanisms for the spontaneous generation of
discrete scale invariance and provide an extensive list of situations where
complex exponents have been found. This is done in order to provide a basis for
a better fundamental understanding of discrete scale invariance. The main
motivation to study discrete scale invariance and its signatures is that it
provides new insights in the underlying mechanisms of scale invariance. It may
also be very interesting for prediction purposes.Comment: significantly extended version (Oct. 27, 1998) with new examples in
several domains of the review paper with the same title published in Physics
Reports 297, 239-270 (1998
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