Control Theory in Physics and other Fields of Science

This book provides an introduction to the analysis and the control mechanism of physical, chemical, biological, technological and economic models and their nonequilibrium evolution dynamics. Strong emphasis is placed on the foundation of variational principles, evolution and control equations, numerical methods, statistical concepts and techniques for solving or estimation of stochastic control problems for systems with a high degree of complexity. In particular, the central aim of this book is developing a synergetic connection between theoretical concepts and real applications. This book is a modern introduction and a helpful tool for researchers as well as for graduate students interested in econophysics and related topics.

From the reviews:"The monograph under review introduces control-theoretic issues which arise in, primarily, physics-related areas. The texts is, in fact, addressed to the physics community, and this is manifested in several ways. First, the style of presentation … . Secondly, the terminology … . Content-wise the monograph offers a variety of topics, more diverse … collected according to their physical context. … All in all, a reader … will find here a variety of issues, lively explanations and useful references to the literature." (Zvi Artstein, Mathematical Reviews, Issue 2007 c)“It is a text-book on control theory and applications mainly devoted to graduate students of physics, engineering, sciences and economics. The aim is to present the most useful theoretical concepts and techniques for understanding the ideas of control theory for physical systems. … The subject is very well presented also from the historical point of view and many different interesting applications field are proposed. … A reach list of references … and an useful analytic index are given.” (Anna Salvadori, Zentralblatt MATH, Vol. 1206, 2011)