East Asia and Pacific Summer Institute for FY 2012 in Australia

Zlotnik Anatoly, Saint Louis MO

Investigators

Abstract

NSF East Asia and Pacific Summer Institute for FY 2012 in Australia NSF proposal number OISE-1209811 PI Name: Anatoly V. Zlotnik This action funds Anatoly Zlotnik of Washington University in St. Louis to conduct a research project in computer science, entitled "Control of Large-scale Or Uncertain Dynamical Systems (CLOUDS)" during the summer of 2012 at Australian National University in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia. The host scientist is Matthew R. James. The Intellectual Merit of this work stems from the need to investigate techniques for controlling large-scale dynamical systems subject to uncertainty. Novel computational methods that enable applications in quantum control are being developed. As engineered systems rapidly grow in complexity, the task of modeling, controlling, and optimizing their behavior becomes increasingly challenging. This motivates research at the interface between control, optimization, and computation. The ability to guide many structurally similar dynamical systems between states of interest, or calibrate a complex dynamical structure to a desired behavior, is fundamental to the development of new quantum technologies. The discovery and optimal design of controls that are robust to variation or uncertainty in system parameters is paramount, and the analytical description and practical synthesis of such controls are challenging. The proposed research develops new methods for control design and synthesis that solve optimal control problems arising in the study of such complex systems. The Broader Impacts of an EAPSI fellowship include providing the Fellow a first-hand research experience outside the U.S., an introduction to the science, science policy, and scientific infrastructure of the respective location, and an orientation to the society, culture and language. These activities meet the NSF goal to educate for international collaborations early in the career of its scientists, engineers, and educators, thus ensuring a globally aware U.S. scientific workforce. In addition to enabling the solution of a wide class of complex control problems, additional impacts are expected in a variety of fields, e.g., emerging applications in neuroscience, magnetic resonance spectroscopy and imaging, and power infrastructure management.