Browsing by Author "Boscain, Ugo"

Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
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    High-order angles in almost-Riemannian geometry
    (2007-08-24T12:00:46Z) Boscain, Ugo; Sigalotti, Mario; Mathematics; Functional Analysis and Applications
    Let X and Y be two smooth vector fields on a two-dimensional manifold M. If X and Y are everywhere linearly independent, then they define a Riemannian metric on M (the metric for which they are orthonormal) and they give to M the structure of metric space. If X and Y become linearly dependent somewhere on M, then the corresponding Riemannian metric has singularities, but under generic conditions the metric structure is still well defined. Metric structures that can be defined locally in this way are called almost-Riemannian structures. The main result of the paper is a generalization to almost-Riemannian structures of the Gauss-Bonnet formula for domains with piecewise-C2 boundary. The main feature of such formula is the presence of terms that play the role of high-order angles at the intersection points with the set of singularities.
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    Introduction to Riemannian and sub-Riemannian geometry
    (SISSA, 2012-04) Agrachev, Andrei A.; Barilari, Davide; Boscain, Ugo; Mathematics; Functional Analysis and Applications
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    Stability of planar nonlinear switched systems
    (2005) Boscain, Ugo; Charlot, Grégoire; Sigalotti, Mario; Mathematics; Functional Analysis and Applications
    We consider the time-dependent nonlinear system ˙ q(t) = u(t)X(q(t)) + (1 − u(t))Y (q(t)), where q ∈ R2, X and Y are two smooth vector fields, globally asymptotically stable at the origin and u : [0,∞) → {0, 1} is an arbitrary measurable function. Analysing the topology of the set where X and Y are parallel, we give some sufficient and some necessary conditions for global asymptotic stability, uniform with respect to u(.). Such conditions can be verified without any integration or construction of a Lyapunov function, and they are robust under small perturbations of the vector fields.
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    Time Minimal Trajectories for a Spin 1/2 Particle in a Magnetic field
    (2005) Boscain, Ugo; Mason, Paolo; Mathematics; Functional Analysis and Applications
    In this paper we consider the minimum time population transfer problem for the z-component of the spin of a (spin 1/2) particle driven by a magnetic field, controlled along the x axis, with bounded amplitude. On the Bloch sphere (i.e. after a suitable Hopf projection), this problem can be attacked with techniques of optimal syntheses on 2-D manifolds. Let (-E,E) be the two energy levels, and |omega (t)| ≤ M the bound on the field amplitude. For each couple of values E and M, we determine the time optimal synthesis starting from the level -E and we provide the explicit expression of the time optimal trajectories steering the state one to the state two, in terms of a parameter that can be computed solving numerically a suitable equation. For M/E << 1, every time optimal trajectory is bang-bang and in particular the corresponding control is periodic with frequency of the order of the resonance frequency wR = 2E. On the other side, for M/E > 1, the time optimal trajectory steering the state one to the state two is bang-bang with exactly one switching. Fixed E we also prove that for M → ∞ the time needed to reach the state two tends to zero. In the case M/E > 1 there are time optimal trajectories containing a singular arc. Finally we compare these results with some known results of Khaneja, Brockett and Glaser and with those obtained by controlling the magnetic field both on the x and y directions (or with one external field, but in the rotating wave approximation). As byproduct we prove that the qualitative shape of the time optimal synthesis presents different patterns, that cyclically alternate as M/E → 0, giving a partial proof of a conjecture formulated in a previous paper.
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    Time minimal trajectories for two-level quantum systems with drift
    (2005-06-20T12:25:56Z) Boscain, Ugo; Mason, Paolo; Mathematics; Functional Analysis and Applications
    On a two-level quantum system driven by an external field, we consider the population transfer problem from the first to the second level, minimizing the time of transfer, with bounded field amplitude. On the Bloch sphere (i.e. after a suitable Hopf projection), this problem can be attacked with techniques of optimal syntheses on 2-D manifolds.