Carleman estimates and simultaneous boundary controllability of uncoupled wave equations (Q6111041)

In this manuscript, the authors consider two uncoupled wave equations with potentials on an interval, they both have the same Dirichlet boundary control at the left endpoint \[ \left\{ \begin{array} {l} u_{tt}-u_{xx}+a(x,t)u=0 \ \mbox{in} \ Q \\ v_{tt}-v_{xx}+a(x,t)v=0 \ \mbox{in} \ Q \\ u(0,t)=0=v(0,t), \ u(1,t)=0, \ v_x(1,t)= 0, \ \mbox{in} \ (0,T), \\ u(\cdot,T)=u^0, u_t(\cdot,T)=u^1, \ \ v(\cdot,T)=v^0, v_t(\cdot,T)=v^1, \end{array} \right. \] where \(Q=(0,1) \times (0,T)\), \(a(x,t) \in L^{\infty}(Q)\), \(u^0 \in H^1_0(0,1)\), \(v^0 \in \{v \in H^1(0,1) : v(0)=0 \}\) and \(u^1, v^1 \in L^2(0,1)\). \par First, the authors discuss the conservative case, and by transmutation, they obtain a simultaneous null controllability for the corresponding uncoupled heat equations. In the nonconservative case, the authors prove global Carleman estimates for the adjoint system, the proof relies on the introduction of new variables, and the construction of appropriated weight functions. The Carleman estimate in the main result of this paper, Theorem 3.1, has several applications, one of which is the controllability problem discussed in Section 4. Another application is presented in Section 5. Finally, using the Hilbert uniqueness method of Lions, the authors solve the simultaneous boundary controllability problem.