Minimal representations of semiseparable kernels and systems with separable boundary conditions (Q1120038)

Let Y,Z be finite dimensional linear spaces over \({\mathbb{C}}\); \(\Omega\) and \(\Sigma\) (Lebesgue) measurable subsets of \({\mathbb{R}}\) of positive measure. An operator valued kernel \(k(t,s): Z\to Y,(t,s)\in \Omega \times \Sigma\), is said to have separable representation if k can be written in the form \(k(t,s)=F(t)G(s)\), where \(G(s): Z\to X\), \(F(t): X\to Y\), the space X is finite dimensional, and G and F are square integrable on \(\Sigma\) and \(\Omega\), respectively. Various characterizations are given for irreducible (i.e., with the minimal dimension of X) separable representations of k. In particular, the minimal dimension of X coincides with the rank of k (understood as the rank of the integral operator \((K\phi)(t)=\int_{\Sigma} k(t,s)\phi(s)ds\) induced by k). These results are applied to the study of minimal finite rank extensions of the lower triangular part \(k_{\ell}\) of k and of the upper triangular part \(k_ u\) of k (here \(\Omega =\Sigma =[a,b])\). In particular, criteria are given for existence of unique minimal finite rank extensions of \(k_{\ell}\) and \(k_ u\). Applications are given involving the concept of minimality of time varying linear systems with separable boundary conditions and their input-output operators: \[ \dot x(t)=A(t)x(t)+B(t)u(t),\quad a\leq t\leq b \] \[ y(t)=C(t)x(t)+D(t)u(t),\quad a\leq t\leq b \] \[ (I- P)x(z)=0;\quad PU(b)^{-1}x(b)=0. \] Here \(A(t): X\to X,B(t): Z\to X\), \(C(t): X\to Y\), \(D(t): Z\to Y\) are linear operators acting between finite dimensional spaces with suitable integrability conditions, P is a projector; and U(t) is the fundamental operator defined by \(\dot U(t)=A(t)U(t)\), \(a\leq t\leq b\); \(U(a)=I\).