Some control design experiments with HIFOO

A new MATLAB package called HIFOO was recently proposed for H-infinity fixed-order controller design. This document illustrates how some standard controller design examples can be solved with this software

On convexity of the frequency response of a stable polynomial

In the complex plane, the frequency response of a univariate polynomial is the set of values taken by the polynomial when evaluated along the imaginary axis. This is an algebraic curve partitioning the plane into several connected components. In this note it is shown that the component including the origin is exactly representable by a linear matrix inequality if and only if the polynomial is stable, in the sense that all its roots have negative real parts

Semidefinite representation of convex hulls of rational varieties

Using elementary duality properties of positive semidefinite moment matrices and polynomial sum-of-squares decompositions, we prove that the convex hull of rationally parameterized algebraic varieties is semidefinite representable (that is, it can be represented as a projection of an affine section of the cone of positive semidefinite matrices) in the case of (a) curves; (b) hypersurfaces parameterized by quadratics; and (c) hypersurfaces parameterized by bivariate quartics; all in an ambient space of arbitrary dimension

Semidefinite geometry of the numerical range

The numerical range of a matrix is studied geometrically via the cone of positive semidefinite matrices (or semidefinite cone for short). In particular it is shown that the feasible set of a two-dimensional linear matrix inequality (LMI), an affine section of the semidefinite cone, is always dual to the numerical range of a matrix, which is therefore an affine projection of the semidefinite cone. Both primal and dual sets can also be viewed as convex hulls of explicit algebraic plane curve components. Several numerical examples illustrate this interplay between algebra, geometry and semidefinite programming duality. Finally, these techniques are used to revisit a theorem in statistics on the independence of quadratic forms in a normally distributed vector

Semidefinite geometry of the numerical range

The numerical range of a matrix is studied geometrically via the cone of positive semidefinite matrices (or semidefinite cone for short). In particular it is shown that the feasible set of a two-dimensional linear matrix inequality (LMI), an affine section of the semidefinite cone, is always dual to the numerical range of a matrix, which is therefore an affine projection of the semidefinite cone. Both primal and dual sets can also be viewed as convex hulls of explicit algebraic plane curve components. Several numerical examples illustrate this interplay between algebra, geometry and semidefinite programming duality. Finally, these techniques are used to revisit a theorem in statistics on the independence of quadratic forms in a normally distributed vector

On semidefinite representations of plane quartics

This note focuses on the problem of representing convex sets as projections of the cone of positive semidefinite matrices, in the particular case of sets generated by bivariate polynomials of degree four. Conditions are given for the convex hull of a plane quartic to be exactly semidefinite representable with at most 12 lifting variables. If the quartic is rationally parametrizable, an exact semidefinite representation with 2 lifting variables can be obtained. Various numerical examples illustrate the techniques and suggest further research directions

SDLS: a Matlab package for solving conic least-squares problems

This document is an introduction to the Matlab package SDLS (Semi-Definite Least-Squares) for solving least-squares problems over convex symmetric cones. The package is shortly presented through the addressed problem, a sketch of the implemented algorithm, the syntax and calling sequences, a simple numerical example and some more advanced features. The implemented method consists in solving the dual problem with a quasi-Newton algorithm. We note that SDLS is not the most competitive implementation of this algorithm: efficient, robust, commercial implementations are available (contact the authors). Our main goal with this Matlab SDLS package is to provide a simple, user-friendly software for solving and experimenting with semidefinite least-squares problems. Up to our knowledge, no such freeware exists at this date