Optimal Control Problems Governed by Nonlinear Partial Differential Equations and Inclusions
Julia Fischer · EPub Bayreuth (University of Bayreuth) · 2010
The focus of this thesis lies on examining the solvability of optimal control problems constrained by nonlinear partial differential equations (PDE) and inclusions (PDI). There exist statements on the existence of solutions for optimal control problems with linear and semi-linear PDEs with monotone parts. The theory for non-monotone PDEs resp. the related optimal control problems is, to the author’s knowledge, incomplete regarding important issues. This concerns particularly the case of PDEs containing mappings, which only satisfy boundedness conditions on restricted sets. At first an optimal control problem is considered, which is characterized by a Laplace equation with Dirichlet boundary conditions and a nonlinear non-monotone Nemytskii operator. Under the decisive assumption of the existence of so called sub- and supersolutions for this differential equation and by introducing a truncation operator we can define an auxiliary problem which is characterized by a pseudomonotone operator. Thereby the solution theory for pseudomonotone operators of Brezis (1968) is applicable. Moreover, starting with the definitions of sub- und supersolution it can be shown, that every solution of the auxiliary problem is a solution of the original problem. The choice of a new optimal control problem which substitutes the original optimal control problem is again governed by the properties of the auxiliary operator. The equivalence of the auxiliary problem to the original problem and the existence of at least one solution can be shown. The technique of applying the Theorem of Lax-Milgram on a linearized problem can be adapted to the semi-linear non-monotone case. This procedure is already known from the theory of semi-linear monotone problems. For optimal control problems with quasi-linear differential equations, different methods are required. As in the semi-linear case, the property of pseudomonotonicity plays a key role in proving the existence of a solution of the quasi-linear PDE. In the proof of the existence of a solution for the optimal control problem other properties of the auxiliary operator are exploited. In the elliptic case operators which satisfy the S+ -property are important. In order to utilize this property, a transformation of the operator to some coercive auxiliary operator is necessary. For this reason a term is added, which penalizes the deviation from the admissible set of states. This term is characterized by a factor, which is derived explicitly in this work. The proof of the existence of a solution of the optimal control problem with parabolic equations is based on the definition of an auxiliary operator, coercivity and the S+ -property of operators. The set of solutions of the considered PDE is compact, but the number of solutions and the situation to each other is unknown. This leads to difficulties in deriving necessary optimality conditions. For this reason a direct approach to solve the optimal control problem with semi-linear PDEs is introduced. It is assumed, that the state constraints coincide with…