Overtaking optimal control problem of age-dependent populations with infinite horizon (Q920052)

The authors consider optimal birth control of an age-dependent population model with unbounded time interval. The model involves a bilinear boundary control of a distributed system described by a first order linear partial differential equation. Since no assumptions on the convergence of the improper integral representing a cost functional are made, the optimal control problem is solved in the weaker sense known as overtaking optimality [\textit{D. A. Carlson}, \textit{A. Haurie} and \textit{A. Jabrane}, SIAM J. Control Optimization 25, No.6, 1517-1541 (1987; Zbl 0658.49003)]. The main idea is the use of Pontryagin's maximum principle for an associated finite horizon optimal control problem and afterwards formulation of conditions which ensure the turnpike property. This property says that an optimal trajectory on any finite horizon stays most of the time in the vicinity of an extremal steady state and ultimately converges to it if the time interval becomes unbounded. Nevertheless the paper has one failure: there are too many mistakes. For example, in the introduction the authors refer to five sections of the paper while in fact it consists of only three sections.