Network Identifiability from Intrinsic Noise

in IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control (in press)

Well-Posedness of Boundary Controlled and Observed Stochastic Port-Hamiltonian Systems

in IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control (2020), 65(10), 4258-4264

Almost Global Consensus on the n-Sphere

in IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control (2018), 63(6), 1664-1675

This paper establishes novel results regarding the global convergence properties of a large class of consensus protocols for multi-agent systems that evolve in continuous time on the n-dimensional unit ... [more ▼]

This paper establishes novel results regarding the global convergence properties of a large class of consensus protocols for multi-agent systems that evolve in continuous time on the n-dimensional unit sphere or n-sphere. For any connected, undirected graph and all n 2 N\{1}, each protocol in said class is shown to yield almost global consensus. The feedback laws are negative gradients of Lyapunov functions and one instance generates the canonical intrinsic gradient descent protocol. This convergence result sheds new light on the general problem of consensus on Riemannian manifolds; the n-sphere for n 2 N\{1} differs from the circle and SO(3) where the corresponding protocols fail to generate almost global consensus. Moreover, we derive a novel consensus protocol on SO(3) by combining two almost globally convergent protocols on the n-sphere for n in {1, 2}. Theoretical and simulation results suggest that the combined protocol yields almost global consensus on SO(3). [less ▲]

Global State Synchronization in Networks of Cyclic Feedback Systems

in IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control (2012), 57(2), 478-483

This technical note studies global asymptotic state synchronization in networks of identical systems. Conditions on the coupling strength required for the synchronization of nodes having a cyclic feedback ... [more ▼]

This technical note studies global asymptotic state synchronization in networks of identical systems. Conditions on the coupling strength required for the synchronization of nodes having a cyclic feedback structure are deduced using incremental dissipativity theory. The method takes advantage of the incremental passivity properties of the constituent subsystems of the network nodes to reformulate the synchronization problem as one of achieving incremental passivity by coupling. The method can be used in the framework of contraction theory to constructively build a contracting metric for the incremental system. The result is illustrated for a network of biochemical oscillators. [less ▲]

Necessary and sufficient conditions for dynamical structure reconstruction of LTI networks

in IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control (2008), 53(7), 1670-1674

This paper formulates and solves the network reconstruction problem for linear time-invariant systems. The problem is motivated from a variety of disciplines, but it has recently received considerable ... [more ▼]

This paper formulates and solves the network reconstruction problem for linear time-invariant systems. The problem is motivated from a variety of disciplines, but it has recently received considerable attention from the systems biology community in the study of chemical reaction networks. Here, we demonstrate that even when a transfer function can be identified perfectly from input–output data, not even Boolean reconstruction is possible, in general, without more information about the system.We then completely characterize this additional information that is essential for dynamical reconstruction without appeal to ad-hoc assumptions about the network, such as sparsity or minimality. [less ▲]

Global analysis of piecewise linear systems using impact maps and quadratic surface Lyapunov functions

in IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control (2003), 48(12), 2089-2106

This paper presents an entirely new constructive global analysis methodology for a class of hybrid systems known as piecewise linear systems (PLS). This methodology infers global properties of PLS solely ... [more ▼]

This paper presents an entirely new constructive global analysis methodology for a class of hybrid systems known as piecewise linear systems (PLS). This methodology infers global properties of PLS solely by studying the behavior at switching surfaces associated with PLS. The main idea is to analyze impact maps, i.e., maps from one switching surface to the next switching surface. Such maps are known to be “unfriendly” maps in the sense that they are highly nonlinear, multivalued, and not continuous. We found, however, that an impact map induced by an linear time-invariant flow between two switching surfaces can be represented as a linear transformation analytically parametrized by a scalar function of the state. This representation of impact maps allows the search for surface Lyapunov functions (SuLF) to be done by simply solving a semidefinite program, allowing global asymptotic stability, robustness, and performance of limit cycles and equilibrium points of PLS to be efficiently checked. This new analysis methodology has been applied to relay feedback, on/off and saturation systems, where it has shown to be very successful in globally analyzing a large number of examples. In fact, it is still an open problem whether there exists an example with a globally stable limit cycle or equilibrium point that cannot be successfully analyzed with this new methodology. Examples analyzed include systems of relative degree larger than one and of high dimension, for which no other analysis methodology could be applied. This success in globally analyzing certain classes of PLS has shown the power of this new methodology, and suggests its potential toward the analysis of larger and more complex PLS. [less ▲]

Global stability of relay feedback systems

in IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control (2001), 46(4), 550--562

For a large class of relay feedback systems (RFS) there will be limit cycle oscillations. Conditions to check existence and local stability of limit cycles for these systems are well known. Global ... [more ▼]

For a large class of relay feedback systems (RFS) there will be limit cycle oscillations. Conditions to check existence and local stability of limit cycles for these systems are well known. Global stability conditions, however, are practically nonexistent. This paper presents conditions in the form of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs) that, when satisfied, guarantee global asymptotic stability of limit cycles induced by relays with hysteresis in feedback with linear time-invariant (LTI) stable systems. The analysis consists in finding quadratic surface Lyapunov functions for Poincaré maps associated with RFS. These results are based on the discovery that a typical Poincaré map induced by an LTI flow between two hyperplanes can be represented as a linear transformation analytically parametrized by a scalar function of the state. Moreover, level sets of this function are convex subsets of linear manifolds. The search for quadratic Lyapunov functions on switching surfaces is done by solving a set of LMIs. Although this analysis methodology yields only a sufficient criterion of stability, it has proved very successful in globally analyzing a large number of examples with a unique locally stable symmetric unimodal limit cycle. In fact, it is still an open problem whether there exists an example with a globally stable symmetric unimodal limit cycle that could not be successfully analyzed with this new methodology. Examples analyzed include minimum-phase systems, systems of relative degree larger than one, and of high dimension. Such results lead us to believe that globally stable limit cycles of RFS frequently have quadratic surface Lyapunov functions. [less ▲]