Sun B. Maximum Principle and Dynamic Programming Viscosity Solution Appr. 2025

Textbook in PDF format

This book is concerned with optimal control problems of dynamical systems described by partial differential equations (PDEs). The content covers the theory and numerical algorithms, starting with open-loop control and ending with closed-loop control. It includes Pontryagin’s maximum principle and the Bellman dynamic programming principle based on the notion of viscosity solution. The Bellman dynamic programming method can produce the optimal control in feedback form, making it more appealing for online implementations and robustness. The determination of the optimal feedback control law is of fundamental importance in optimal control and can be argued as the Holy Grail of control theory