Null controllability of degenerate heat equations (Q2504031)

The authors study the controllability of the degenerate parabolic equation \[ u_{t} - (x^{\alpha}u_{x}) = f\chi_{\omega},\quad x\in (0,1),\;t \in (0,T), \] where the control \(f\) acts on an open subdomain \(\omega\) of \((0,1)\). The results established are used to obtain null controllability of a Crocco-type equation that describes the velocity a laminar flow on a flat plate.