Optimal control of functional-differential equations of parabolic type in Banach spaces (Q6197767)

The optimal control problem \[ \mathcal{J}(z)=\int_0^\tau L(t,u_t,z(t))\, \mathrm{d}t\rightarrow \inf \] is considered, where \(u\) is the mild solution of the functional evolution equation \[ \begin{split} \dot{u}(t)&\in Au(t) + f_1(t, u_t) + f_2(.t, u_t) z(t)\\ u(t)&=\varphi_0(t)\text{ for } t\in [-h,0]. \end{split} \] Here \(u_t(\cdot)=u(t+\cdot)\), \(A\) is an (unbounded) linear operator from a reflexive Banach space \(X\) into itself that generates a semigroup of compact operators in \(X\), \(D\) is a domain in \([-h,T]\times X\) with \(\varphi_0(t)\in D\), \(f_1:[0,T]\times D\to X\), resp. \(f_2:[0,T]\times D\to \mathcal{L}(X,X)\) are Caratheodory with linear growth, and \(z\) is the control, \(z\in L^p(0,T;X)\). Moreover \(L\) is continuous, convex in the control variable, and differentiable in the state variable, while satisfying some growth conditions. The main point of the paper is letting the final time \(\tau\) be the first time of attainment of the boundary \(\partial D\) by a solution of the evolution equation. An existence result of an optimal control is proved. The proof requires a careful analysis of extension of solutions and of convergence. Applications to a class of parabolic equations are given.