Optimal control and relaxation of nonlinear elliptic systems (Q5905423)

The author is concerned with the optimal control of systems governed by nonlinear elliptic partial differential equations. First, using an appropriate convexity hypothesis, existence of an optimal admissible state-control pair is established. Dropping this hypothesis, the main part of the paper then deals with the larger relaxed system. The approaches of Gamkrelidze and Warga employing transition probabilities, as well as the \(\Gamma\)-regularization of Buttazzo are studied and their results compared. Finally, necessary conditions are derived for optimality in systems whose state is subject to inequality constraints. Here, use is made of a multiplier rule due to Ioffe and Tichomirov.