A variational approach to the problem of continuous dependence of solutions to second order periodic system (Q2233631)

The authors deal with the optimal control problem governed by the second order periodic boundary value problem \[\ddot x(t)=f^1(t,x(t))u(t)+f^2(t,x(t));\ x(0)=x(T),\ \dot x(0)=\dot x(T),\] where \(f^1:[0,T]\times \mathbb{R}^n\to\mathbb{R}^{n\times m},\ f^2:[0,T]\times \mathbb{R}^n\to\mathbb{R}^n\) and \(u:[0,T]\to M\subset \mathbb R^m\) is an admissible control. The matrix field \(f^1\) and the vector field \(f^2\) are assumed to be potential with functions \(F^1,\ F^2\) fulfilling \(F^1_x=f^1,\ F^2_x=f^2\). The main results are theorems on the existence and continuous dependence on the parameter \(u\). Moreover the authors investigate a Bolza-type optimal control problem with the cost functional \[J(x,u)=\int_0^T f(t,x(t),\dot x(t),u(t))\,dt+\ell(x(T)).\]