Geometrical and topological methods in optimal control theory (Q1915325)

This is yet another survey paper on geometric and topological methods in control theory, adding to at least 36 other surveys on the same topic published in the last 20-25 years. The present paper contains 165 pages from which the largest part (91 pages) is occupied by a long bibliographical list of 1680 items. Starting with a short but clear overview of the so-called ``chronological calculus'', the author presents in the first part of the paper the main concepts and results obtained in the last 30 years on the orbits of families of vector fields, global and local controllability of smooth nonlinear systems, state-space and feedback equivalence, minimal realization and necessary optimality conditions. In the second part of the paper, the author presents a survey, mostly of his own results, concerning bang-bang theorems for smooth systems of constant rank and some applications of the classical critical point theory of Morse, Lusternik-Schnirelman and minimax principles of the Mountain-Pass-Theorem type to optimal control problems. Accurately and clearly written, covering most of the main aspects of the subject and providing an almost complete and up-to-date bibliographical list, the present survey may prove to be a useful working-tool for the specialists and even for the biginners in the field.