A trace regularity result for thermoelastic equations with application to optimal boundary control (Q2566116)

In this very important and useful paper a mixed problem for a Kirchhoff thermoelastic plate model with clamped boundary conditions is studied. The authors consider the following PDE model of a thermoelastic plate in the variables \(w(t,x)\) (vertical displacement) and \(\theta(t,x)\) (temperature): \[ w_{tt}-\rho\Delta w_{tt}+\Delta^2w+ \Delta\theta=0 \text{ in }Q:=(0,T)\times \Omega \] \[ \theta_t-\Delta\theta-\Delta w_t =0\text{ in }Q \] \[ w=\frac{\partial w}{\partial v}=0 \quad\text{on }\Sigma:=(0,T]\times\partial\Omega\tag{1} \] \[ \theta=u\text{ (Dirichlet boundary control) on }\Sigma \] \[ w(0,.)=w^0,w_t (0,.)= w^1,\;\theta(0,.)=\theta^0\text{ in }\Omega. \] The dynamics of the plate are influenced by boundary control \(u\) acting on the temperature (thermal control). The quadratic cost functional (associated with (1)) has the form \[ J(w,w,\theta,u)=\int^T_0\int_\Omega\bigl(|\Delta w|^2+| \nabla w_t|^2+| \theta|^2\bigr)\,dx\,dt+\int^T_0\int_\Gamma |u|^2\,ds\, dt,\tag{2} \] where \(u\in L_2 (0,T,L_2(\Gamma))\). Main result: A sharp regularity, result for the outer normal derivative of the thermal velocity on the boundary is established. The precise proof based upon interpolation techniques, benefits from the exponential regularity of traces of solutions to the elastic Kirchhoff equation is proposed. The new result concerning the present regularity estimate can be interpreted as a suitable control-theoretic property of the corresponding abstract dynamics. It is crucial to guarantee well-posedness for the associated differential Riccati equations.