Analysis and Geometry in Control Theory and its Applications

Since the Fifties of the last Century, Control Theory has established itself as a powerful mathematical discipline, particularly fit for applications in various applied research fields, including advanced engineering design, economics, medical sciences and population biology. However, Control Theory is not only limited to a powerful tool for a growing number of applications. In fact, since the emerging of this discipline, the need of rethinking and extending fields such as Calculus of Variations, Differential Geometry, Non smooth Analysis is permanently parallel to investigations devoted to applications. Nowadays Control Theory qualifies as a rich source of basic abstract problems and at the same time, an important viewpoint to investigate purely mathematical issues. This volume collects some recent results, highlighting geometrical and analytical aspects and the connections between them. Applications are in the background and sometimes explicitly treated, in the classical spirit of an indivisible, mutual, interference occurring between abstraction and problem-solving practice.