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Friday 4 September

Systems and Control

Context-Enriched Performance Boosting via Operator Decomposition

Performance Boosting (PB) is a control framework that, for a pre-stabilized system subject to $\mathcal L_p$ process disturbances, parametrizes the controllers that preserve closed-loop $\mathcal L_p$-stability through a causal $\mathcal L_p$-stable operator mapping reconstructed disturbances to corrective control actions. Although this permits optimization over expressive stability-preserving controllers, learning a desired policy from disturbance information alone can be difficult. We introduce a structured factorization for context-enriched, multi-input PB operators. The proposed architecture combines an $\mathcal L_p$-stable dynamical module that processes reconstructed disturbances with a uniformly bounded matrix-valued mixer depending on disturbances and contextual signals. Under the standard PB assumptions, this factorization preserves closed-loop $\mathcal L_p$-stability by construction. Moreover, on a weighted-envelope disturbance domain, we prove that the factorization is necessary and sufficient for causal operators satisfying a context-uniform envelope-preservation property. A numerical moving-gate navigation experiment demonstrates the advantages of the proposed architecture over context-agnostic PB, MAD, and reference-aware PB baselines.
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All authors Leonardo Massai, Sebastiano Messina, Nicolas Kirsch, Giancarlo Ferrari-Trecate

Systems and Control

Locational Marginal Pricing for Adaptive Robust Look-Ahead Dispatch with Casual Affine Recourse

This paper develops a marginal pricing mechanism for adaptive robust look-ahead economic dispatch (LAED) under net-load uncertainty. In current market practice, deterministic multi-interval dispatch can misprice flexibility when forecast error is large. Fully adaptive robust (FAR) dispatch captures this uncertainty, but competing worst-case trajectories can imply different marginal values of demand, leaving no single price for market settlement. We propose causal affine recourse (CAR) as a tractable, price-forming approximation. CAR replaces independently optimized trajectory-specific schedules with a causal affine response policy, yielding a market-clearing model that retains the standard energy and congestion decomposition of DC Locational Marginal Pricing. We then demonstrate that CAR-LMP together with a ramp-adjusted current settlement supports dispatch-following and eliminates current-period lost opportunity costs. We solve the CAR problem by deriving a robust counterpart and present computational evidence on exact small DC instances, a ten-generator system, and an IEEE 300-bus public-network case. These simulations show that the proposed prices collapse exactly to deterministic LAED-LMP when robustness is inactive, remain stable in loose-ramp regimes, and produce economically meaningful price shifts when flexibility is scarce. The proposed pricing mechanism provides a practical bridge between adaptive robust dispatch and market-based pricing.
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Systems and Control

Regional Frequency Constrained Dispatch Method Considering Spatial-joint Stochastic Disturbances and Contingencies

The increasing penetration of renewable energy challenges frequency stability due to high variability and declining inertia. Traditional frequency security constrained dispatch methods fail to capture regional frequency heterogeneity and spatially correlated stochastic disturbances, resulting in inaccurate frequency security enforcement. To address this, a regional frequency constrained dispatch method is proposed, considering the spatially joint stochastic disturbances and contingencies. Firstly, a multi-regional frequency response model is constructed, incorporating the Vine-Copula based characterization of regional stochastic disturbances and regional frequency support. Then, a progressive latent-bottleneck physics-informed neural network is applied to characterize differential frequency nadir terms and regional frequency support integral terms via an encoder-decoder architecture, which enables optimization compatible expressions of system frequency dynamics. Finally, a day ahead dispatch model is developed in which regional stochastic frequency constraints are embedded using a CVaR-based formulation. A case study on the IEEE 118-bus system shows that the proposed method outperforms the unified center of inertia embedded approach in mitigating regional frequency violations, with the regional frequency nadir and RoCoF improved by 32.76% and 2.06%, respectively.
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All authors Nian Liu, Yubing Chen, Kai Jiang, Jiahao Liu, Cheng Wang, Tianshu Bi

Systems and Control

Robust stabilization with spiking neuronal communication

Neuromorphic engineering develops hardware and software systems inspired by biological neurons, with the goal of achieving energy-efficient, low-latency, robust, and adaptive computation, communication and control. Its potential impact on systems and control is significant, as it may enable novel approaches to control and estimation by leveraging brain-inspired computation and communication principles. In this context, we present a framework for the robust stabilization of a plant subject to disturbances when the communication between noisy sensors and the controller relies on spiking signals generated by neuron-inspired schemes. The communication scheme consists of a spike encoder on the sensors side, which is based on integrate-and-fire neurons that convert the analog plant output measurement into a spiking signal, and a spike decoder on the controller side inspired by synaptic processing to convert the received spiking signal into an analog signal. We provide design conditions on the spike decoder, the spike encoder as well as on the controller under which the closed-loop system exhibits a practical input-to-state stability property, where the adjustable parameters are the amplitudes of the spikes. The results are shown to be applicable to a class of nonlinear systems as well as to any stabilizable and detectable linear time-invariant system. Numerical simulations on a single-link manipulator illustrate the potential of the approach.
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All authors Elena Petri, Romain Postoyan, Erik Steur, W.P.M.H. Heemels

Systems and Control

A Forward Model for Route- and Season-Dependent High-Pressure Compressor Efficiency Deterioration in Turbofan Engines

Civil turbofan engines lose compressor efficiency every time they fly through particle-laden air. Fouling of the high-pressure compressor (HPC) is the dominant recoverable performance-loss mechanism. Existing studies treat environmental particle exposure, blade-row deposition and stage-performance deterioration as separate problems, which limits understanding of the issue. Stage-stacking approaches require deterioration levels to be prescribed rather than derived from the operating environment, leaving the causal chain from route conditions to engine performance unresolved. This paper presents a forward simulation framework that closes this gap by propagating route-, season-, and altitude-dependent particle exposure through four successive layers: (1) flight-phase-resolved HPC inlet dose calculation; (2) stage-wise deposition across the HPC; (3) deposition-to-deterioration mapping; and (4) stage thermodynamic stacking, yielding overall fouled HPC isentropic efficiency. Demonstrated on a representative civil high-bypass turbofan baseline with characteristics similar to the CFM56-7B, the predicted deterioration milestones are confirmed in magnitude and timescale against publicly available in-service support datasets. The results reproduce front-stage-dominated deposition, rapid early deterioration with asymptotic saturation, and clear route- and season-dependent fouling behaviour. To our knowledge, this is the first model that closes the complete chain from operationally resolved environmental exposure to the overall loss of HPC isentropic efficiency in a single physically traceable forward framework.
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All authors Yuyou Zhan, Miguel Arana-Catania, Neil Dhir, Yiguang Li

Systems and Control · Cross-listed from cs.LG

Physics-Aware Random Walk Fingerprints for Scalable Power Grid Graph Classification

Recent benchmarks such as PowerGraph provide large collections of power-grid graphs for cascading-failure classification. Graph neural networks (GNNs) achieve strong predictive performance on this task, but typically require end-to-end training and model-specific tuning, while their latent representations can be difficult to relate to physically meaningful propagation patterns. Random Walk Fingerprints (RWF) offer a scalable and interpretable alternative, but existing variants primarily emphasise topology and node-level information, leaving grid-relevant operational edge states in the walk dynamics. We propose Multi-Channel Physics-Aware Random Walk Fingerprints (MC-PA-RWF) for power systems, a lightweight graph-level representation framework that introduces physical edge states into random-walk propagation. The method constructs multiple edge-weighted channels from domain-relevant attributes, extracts a channel-specific fingerprint from each weighted graph, and concatenates the resulting vectors into a compact representation. Experiments on three PowerGraph benchmark systems show substantial improvements over topology-only RWF and competitive balanced accuracy against strong GNN baselines, including Graph Convolutional Networks (GCN), Graph Attention Networks (GAT), Graph Isomorphism Networks with edge features (GINE), and Transformer-based Graph Convolutional Networks (TransformerConv). At the largest evaluated settings, the node-edge extension MC-PA-RWF+ achieves around 98.04% - 99.32% balanced accuracy and improves failure-class F1 over the strongest GNN baseline by 1.60 – 5.84 percentage points, with statistically significant gains across all three systems.
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Systems and Control · Cross-listed from math.OC

Open-Loop Stackelberg LQ Difference Games with Coupled-Affine Inequality Constraints: An Exact OCP–LCS/LCQP Reformulation

In this letter, we study finite-horizon linear-quadratic Stackelberg difference games with coupled-affine state-control inequality constraints. Under the stated assumptions, we show that generalized open-loop Stackelberg equilibria admit an exact reformulation as an optimal control problem subject to a discrete-time linear complementarity system. Eliminating the dynamic variables yields a large-scale linear complementarity quadratic program, together with an explicit recovery map for the follower strategy. This reformulation enables the numerical computation of these equilibria. We illustrate the proposed approach using a constrained network-flow game.
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Systems and Control · Cross-listed from math.OC

Policy Iteration for Domain Randomized Linear Quadratic Systems

In this work, we study policy optimization under domain randomization for linear quadratic control, focusing on learning a single state-feedback controller that minimizes the average cost across systems with uncertain dynamics. We propose a policy iteration algorithm with a step-size rule that preserves stability across all sampled systems at each iteration. We show that the method yields monotonic improvement of the sample-average objective and that a stabilizing step size always exists. Under standard smoothness assumptions, the iterates converge subsequentially to stationary points, and under a gradient-dominance condition, we obtain a global linear convergence rate.
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Systems and Control

On the differential of the exponential map

We study the time derivative of the matrix exponential $B(t)=\mathrm{exp}(A(t))$, where $A(t)$ is a time-parametrized curve in $\mathrm{Mat}(n)$. Starting from the Taylor series expansion, we derive a nested summation formula, which is then reformulated into a double summation. This expression is converted into an integral representation using Euler's beta function, and further expressed in terms of Lie brackets and the adjoint representation. Later, we extend this to a family of problems and verify a well-known result. Finally, we establish connections to the Gateaux and Fréchet derivatives, proving the latter's existence. These results offer a unified and explicit framework for understanding the derivative of the exponential map.
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Systems and Control · Cross-listed from cs.AI

SiLR: Structure-Preserving Admission and Process Reward for LLM Tool Agents

A runtime gate for an LLM tool agent is usually cast as a filter. In a ReAct loop a rejected proposal is followed by another at the same state, so the gate is a search operator over the proposal stream whose admission criterion shapes which trajectories are reachable. We study post-violation recovery admission, where progress must be admitted while the system is still in violation, and identify the scalar projection trap: an aggregate-score gate accepts a locally improving proposal and commits the trajectory to a plateau. SiLR instead shadow-executes each proposal and admits it under a product order over the branch-level violation state (overloaded-branch support and per-branch severity). We prove that no scalar surrogate is sound for this order, so the failure is representational, not a matter of threshold tuning. On mined Gym-ANM scenarios, SiLR recovers 21/21 multi-action episodes against 0/21 for terminal and 9/21 for the best scalar gate, significant across the full 24-scenario benchmark. The terminal-versus-structured dichotomy holds across three model families and in CityLearn. Because admission rests on deterministic simulation, the LLM lies outside the trust boundary: a magnitude-redistribution attack that defeats both scalar and support-only baselines is contained only by the full per-branch predicate. With two constraint families active, every tested scalar projection admits physically unsafe actions; support-only admits the largest fraction (63.2% of 42,410; product order 0). In the hardest dual-family traces, scalar gates recover only through that unsafe class. Reused as a GRPO process reward, it outperforms its count projection in every mined scenario and is the only tested reward whose ungated policy exceeds the untrained base (0.844 vs. 0.778). Scalar projection loses the violation geometry at both design points; only the full product order is structurally sufficient.
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All authors Chenyu Zhou, Qiliang Jiang, Shuning Wu, Xu Zhou

Systems and Control

Bayesian thermal digital twin for a space habitat subjected to an impact event

Space habitats may experience disruptive events, such as micro-meteorite impacts, that can induce structural damage and thermal anomalies in the interior environment, requiring resilient Environmental Control and Life Support Systems (ECLSS). Digital twins offer a promising paradigm for supporting resilience, onboard decision making, and uncertainty-aware autonomy. However, limited work has developed digital twins for the thermal aspects of ECLSS. This work develops a Bayesian thermal digital twin for a habitat cyber-physical testbed experiencing impact-induced thermal anomalies. We construct a coupled thermal resistance-capacitance network model representing the physical and cyber thermal subsystems and embed physics-based activation functions to automate model selection, enable adaptation, and facilitate health-state estimation. Offline Bayesian calibration is performed for the physical subsystem using experimental temperature data. For the cyber subsystem, reduction in structural protective layer thickness is identified as the impact-sensitive parameter. After fixing the physical parameters and insensitive parameters, Bayesian inference is performed continuously to estimate impact-relevant cyber parameters, enabling detection of impact location, timing, and severity. Synthetic studies examine hyperparameter selection, observability, and noise effects, and the final framework is validated using experimental testbed data. Results show that the proposed digital twin can detect impact-induced thermal anomalies, infer impact-relevant parameters with quantified uncertainty, generate informative temperature forecasts, and support time-to-critical estimation for autonomous habitat operation.
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All authors Sreehari Manikkan, Seungho Rhee, Herta Montoya, Davide Ziviani, Shirley J. Dyke, Ilias Bilionis

Thursday 3 September

Systems and Control · Cross-listed from math.OC

Predictor-Based Exponential Tracking of Turbulent Solutions for the Kuramoto–Sivashinsky Equation with Input Delay

Uniform exponential tracking is addressed for nonstationary trajectories of the nonlinear Kuramoto–Sivashinsky equation subject to a constant input delay. The reference belongs to a family of complete trajectories contained in the global attractor and need not be stationary, periodic, slowly varying, or generated by a finite-dimensional exosystem. The delayed input is represented by a first-order transport equation coupled with the fourth-order tracking-error dynamics. A predictor–backstepping transformation compensates for the temporal mismatch between command generation and actuation by mapping the augmented closed-loop system into the nominal delay-free error dynamics driven by the outgoing trace of a homogeneous transport subsystem. This subsystem vanishes after one delay interval. Uniform attractor bounds permit the feedback parameters and stability constants to be selected independently of the initial time and the reference trajectory. Global well-posedness and uniform exponential stability are established in the augmented state space. Numerical results show that, for the considered configuration, uncompensated delayed feedback amplifies the tracking error, whereas predictor compensation restores sustained decay. Predictor-consistency, finite-time-extinction, and discretization-refinement diagnostics support the numerical implementation.
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Systems and Control

New VSC-HVDC interconnection between the Iberian Peninsula and Balearic Archipelago to enable energy transition

One of the challenges of the Spanish Transmission System Operator (TSO) is the decarbonisation of the Balearic Archipelago, by means of the integration of Renewable Energy Sources (RES) in the islands, as well as increasing the transmission capacity between the Iberian Peninsula and the Balearic Islands. Since the Balearic Archipelago is an island power system, the decarbonisation brings challenges related to power system stability and operation. A new High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) interconnection between the Iberian Peninsula power system and the Balearic Islands power system is planned to facilitate the decarbonisation of the Balearic Archipelago (PEN-BAL2 Project). The HVDC link will be based on Voltage Source Converter (VSC) technology and will consist of a bipole of 2x200 MW, a DC voltage of +-250 kVdc and +100/-150 Mvar of reactive power capacity for each converter station. One converter station will be connected to a future El Fadrell 400 kV substation (Castellón, Valencia, Iberian Peninsula), while the other converter station will be connected to the existing San Martín 220 kV substation (Mallorca Island, Balearic Islands). The link will have HVDC submarine cables of 363 km (approx.).This paper will describe the challenges for energy transition in the Balearic Archipelago, technology enablers in general and PENBAL2 VSC-HVDC interconnection.
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All authors Javier Renedo, Silvia Sanz Verdugo, Antonio Cordón, Belén Segura, David Castañeda, Rosalía Rivas, Patricia Labra

Systems and Control

Integrating Agentic Artificial Intelligence with High-Performance Computing for Grid Planning

We present AgentiGrid, an agentic artificial intelligence (AI) framework that integrates large language models (LLMs) intelligence and high-performance computing (HPC) to streamline and accelerate the multi-scenario power flow studies. AgentiGrid is an autonomous decision-making agent that proposes parameter modifications, invokes analyses through HPC analysis toolkit ExaGO, interprets results, and determines subsequent actions. ExaGO provides multiple power flow applications that can perform deterministic, stochastic and security constrained optimal power flow analyses. AgentiGrid provides backends to multiple LLMs (OpenAI, Anthropic, Ollama, and Ollama cloud) augmented with context specific and task specific prompts. Key features include interactive mid-search steering, goal-type-aware post-search analysis, and concurrent variant exploration for power flow optimization. A Streamlit-based graphical launcher provides real-time visualization of iteration progress and generates reports in natural language. AgentiGrid is capable of autonomously converging transmission constrained alternating current optimal power flow in under 20 iterations, with near-perfect reliability
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Systems and Control · Cross-listed from cs.IT

Deep Reinforcement Learning for Optimization of STAR-RIS Phase and Energy Splitting Coefficients in OTFS-NOMA Framework

This paper considers a downlink communication framework comprising a simultaneously transmitting and reflecting reconfigurable intelligent surface (STAR-RIS)-aided by orthogonal time frequency space (OTFS) and non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) technologies. Further, delay-Doppler mobility in such frameworks renders classical alternating optimization impractical for per-coherence interval reconfiguration. To mitigate such issues, the STAR-RIS phase-shift and energy-splitting design is formulated as a constrained, non-convex sum-rate maximization problem with closed-form maximum ratio transmission beamforming and fixed NOMA power allocation. To circumvent the per-interval re-optimization burden, a deep reinforcement learning (DRL) approach is adopted that maps observed channel realizations to STAR-RIS configurations through a single forward pass. Specifically, Beta-Space Soft Actor-Critic (SAC-BSE), a maximum entropy DRL agent, is proposed. Simulation results, with two NOMA-multiplexed users on each STAR-RIS branch, confirm rapid convergence, limit the sum-rate degradation to roughly 10% across a 128-fold user-speed range, and yield consistent gains over OTFS-only, NOMA-only, STAR-RIS-only, fixed-split, and mode-switching baselines as transmit power and the number of STAR-RIS elements increase.
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Systems and Control

Estimating the Health and State of Charge of Each Cell in a Second-Life Battery System from Field Data

Effective use of battery storage depends on reliable estimation of its state of health (SOH) and state of charge (SOC). Model-based state estimation requires the open-circuit voltage (OCV) curve, which is typically unknown for second-life batteries. We present a framework that jointly estimates the states and parameters of an equivalent circuit model solely from field operation data, using Gaussian process regression to reconstruct the OCV curve. Applied to a real second-life battery system of 27 modules and 324 cells, it reveals SOH heterogeneity, a systematic SOC imbalance, and two faulty cells, all validated against a reference measurement. We aggregate the cell SOH and SOC to module level and benchmark them against a lumped-module model fitted without the individual cell voltages. The lumped-module model follows the average behavior and cannot capture the limiting cells, overestimating SOH by up to 31% and SOC by up to 23%.
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All authors Martin Cornejo, Julian Meyer-Schwickerath, Juan Victor Sandalinas, Andreas Jossen

Systems and Control · Cross-listed from cs.NI

Waves on the Walls: Empirical Characterization of mmWave Lateral Waves for Enhanced Indoor Coverage

High-frequency millimeter-wave (mmWave) communication systems are constrained by the surrounding environment, where walls are traditionally treated as obstacles that block or reflect signals indoors. Consequently, current beamforming strategies are tailored to circumvent these obstructions. In this paper, a paradigm shift is introduced that leverages lateral wave propagation along building interfaces to extend mmWave coverage. Unlike traditional reflections, lateral waves travel along the boundary between two media of different refractive indices and decay algebraically with distance, offering a potential alternative path for mmWave connectivity. While well-established at low frequencies in natural media, the existence of lateral waves at mmWave frequencies along engineered building materials has not been demonstrated before. To this end, the first experimental characterization of mmWave lateral waves along a wall is reported. Extensive controlled measurements are employed to characterize the signal-grazing geometry and to establish a frequency and distance-dependent path-loss model for this phenomenon. The results provide the first empirical foundation for a new class of interface-guided mmWave links.
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All authors Apala Pramanik, Avhishek Biswas, Sasitharan Balasubramaniam, Christos Argyropoulos, Mehmet C. Vuran

Systems and Control

Grid-Mode-Aware Model Predictive Control of Hybrid Energy Storage Systems for AI Data Center Power Smoothing

To facilitate the grid-friendly integration of highly variable AI data center loads, this paper proposes a grid-mode-aware model predictive control (G-MPC) framework for managing a hybrid energy storage system (HESS) to smooth grid-side power demand. The framework optimally coordinates a battery energy storage system (BESS) and a supercapacitor (SC) by solving a multi-step optimization problem in a receding-horizon manner. In particular, band-pass filter dynamics are directly embedded in the G-MPC formulation to extract and suppress grid-side power components associated with vulnerable grid oscillatory modes, thus mitigating load-induced grid oscillations. The resulting G-MPC optimization jointly minimizes violations of grid-side power-envelope, ramp-rate, and modal-power requirements and the degradation and power-ramping costs of the BESS and SC, while satisfying power limits, state-of-charge limits, and other operational constraints. To enable real-time implementation, a fix-and-re-optimize algorithm is developed to solve each G-MPC problem efficiently while preventing simultaneous charging and discharging. Extensive simulations demonstrate the effectiveness, flexibility, and computational efficiency of the proposed framework. The results also highlight the importance of explicitly suppressing power components associated with vulnerable grid modes, rather than merely reducing overall load variations, to effectively mitigate grid oscillations.
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Systems and Control · Cross-listed from cs.RO

Scalable Edge-assisted Fusion and Path Prediction for Connected Autonomous Vehicles

The planning algorithms inside an Autonomous Vehicle (AV) rely on information from on-board sensors whose line of sight is limited by emerging traffic conditions and occlusions. Edge-assisted creation of a unified world model fusing information from AVs and Road Side Units (RSUs) in a geographical locale, and the prediction of AVs' future trajectories, can enhance the planning algorithms inside AVs to improve quality metrics, such as better traffic flow and collision prevention. AVs participating in such enhancements are called Connected Autonomous Vehicles (CAVs). However, such information generated by the edge (world model and motion predictions) must reach the planners within a tight Age of Information (AoI) time budget to be useful. The state of the art fuses per-CAV information: each AV fuses inputs from other actors locally, which limits both scalability with actor count and quality of results. We present Conductor, an edge-based solution for creating a unified world model from the perspective of a fixed anchor (e.g., an RSU) in a locale and predicting future trajectories of AVs in that locale. Our solution adheres to the AoI time budget by dynamically limiting the number of AVs that would lead to the best quality of results. Specifically, we introduce an occlusion-aware selector that favors information contribution by AVs that detect objects in the locale not covered by RSUs. We pair this selector with a runtime controller that adapts both the number of AV inputs to fuse and the amount of trajectory predictions in each cycle to stay within the AoI time budget. Evaluation on CAV simulation infrastructure shows our joint selector-controller meets the AoI safety bound across traffic scenarios with up to 31 CAVs, with fusion fidelity close to an Oracle and much better than a random selector under the same AoI constraint.
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All authors Tyler Landle, Jackson Isenberg, Abhijit Chatterjee, Alexandros Daglis, Umakishore Ramachandran

Systems and Control

A Constraint-Aware Generative Framework for Synthetic Origin-Destination Demand in Logistics Networks

Large-scale logistics networks require synthetic data generation capabilities to support scenario-based planning under novel conditions-such as network reconfiguration and demand shocks. Existing approaches, which rely primarily on historical observations, lack the ability to generate demand patterns that adapt to changes in network topology while respecting operational constraints. We propose a constraint-aware conditional generative framework for synthetic origin-destination demand generation in hierarchical logistics networks. The framework models demand as a conditional distribution over destinations given each origin, enabling topology-aware synthesis that is both topologically realistic and operationally feasible. Operational guidance is incorporated directly into the generative objective via differentiable constraints, while a flexible conditioning mechanism supports various operational contexts and adaptation to evolving network configurations. We instantiate the proposed framework based on a conditional generative model. Experimental validation on industrial real fulfillment and transportation network demonstrates 16% improvement over graph neural network baselines, 87% operational compliance, and efficient cold-start adaptation, enabling applications in capacity planning, network design evaluation, and routing optimization.
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Systems and Control · Cross-listed from cs.LG

Data-Driven Learning of Unknown Nonlinear Differential Equations Using Functional Analysis

In this paper, the problem of data-driven discovery of nonlinear ordinary differential equations (ODEs) is recast, and a new interpretable machine learning (ML) method is proposed. The proposed method aims to learn the unknown vector field of nonlinear dynamics without prior knowledge of the system's physics from only one single state trajectory's data. The proposed method has two fundamental differences with existing methods: 1) the formulation presented in this method is derived based on Functional Analysis and Operator Theory, and 2) the cost function is constructed in the function space as a distance between two functions as an integral, instead of the discrete-sum of errors used in existing ML approaches. An incremental learning algorithm is proposed to learn the unknown vector field to handle new training samples in an online manner. The proposed method can discover the unknown vector field from both forced and unforced autonomous and non-autonomous (or time-varying) dynamical systems. The proposed method is able to simultaneously discover unknown external forces as a function of time and unknown underlying dynamics. Finally, numerical examples are given to demonstrate the advantages of the proposed method.
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Systems and Control

Formation Matrix and Energy-based Control of Multi-Agent Systems

This paper presents an energy-based controller for a multiagent robotic system designed to achieve and maintain a specific formation while moving on a plane and avoiding collisions between agents. The controller emulates a network of elementary spring-damper modules connecting pairs of agents. This network, with its de-energized states representing the desired formation, determines the system's dynamics, which is fully encapsulated by a bond graph model. The modeling is further enhanced through the introduction of a formation matrix, using a graph-theoretic approach, that describes both the distances and relative velocities among the agents of the arrangement. This matrix mathematically represents the interconnection and energy-exchange structure of the bond graph, allowing us to put it in correspondence with the control-by-interconnection CbI-scheme of the IDA-PBC theory, facilitating the solution of the formation control problem within the port-Hamiltonian system framework. Furthermore, the paper presents leader-following and position-based formation control systems based on the CbI scheme, including a stability analysis of the corresponding closed-loop systems. The theoretical findings are validated through numerical simulations across various scenarios.
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Systems and Control · Cross-listed from math.OC

Transversality Conditions for Boundary Constraints Defined by Differential Equations

What are the transversality conditions for an optimal control problem when the boundary conditions are defined by differential equations? This seemingly bizarre question is motivated by trajectory optimization problems in the $N$-body system. The question, however, is more fundamental and goes beyond problems in astrodynamics to nonintegrable dynamical systems in general. The main contribution of this paper is the development of generic initial- and final-time transversality conditions for optimal control problems whose boundary conditions are defined in terms of differential equations with side conditions. The mathematical definition of differential boundary conditions are part of the foundations developed in this paper. To support the new fundamentals, the concept of coordinated/uncoordinated clock times and weak adjoint covectors are introduced. In the case of uncoordinated clock times, the new transversality conditions reveal that there exists a special situation where a weak adjoint covector is orthogonal to the vector field of the boundary differential equation. This condition is sharply different from the classical statement of orthogonality with respect to the endpoint manifold. The theorems developed in this paper are generic. An application of the theorems to several cases in the three-body problem are described in separate papers.
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Systems and Control

Quantifying Power to Voltage and Frequency Dynamics for Oscillation Propagation Assessment

The integration of Inverter-Based Resources (IBRs) into power systems introduces multi-timescale dynamics and oscillations which may propagate to distant areas and endanger the safe system operation. These oscillations pose a significant challenge as their source, frequency, and propagation pathways are often challenging to identify in large interconnected systems, comprising numerous synchronous machines and IBRs. For the above reasons, analytical tools that identify the sensitivity of the system to oscillations within a large frequency spectrum, affecting both voltage and frequency variables across various network locations, are of interest. This paper addresses this topic by introducing a frequency-domain framework based on linear analysis, which characterizes the sensitivity to oscillations of each network bus voltage and of each generation unit frequency. Within this framework, two quantitative indicators are proposed, namely the Frequency Sensitivity Index (FSI) and Voltage Sensitivity Index (VSI). These indexes are derived analytically from the transfer functions which relate the active and reactive power injections to each bus with the voltage and frequency variables across the network, derived from the linear Electromagnetic Transient (EMT) power system model. The proposed indices quantify the sensitivity of the system to oscillations of different type and frequency, providing insights for both oscillation detection and propagation analysis. The methodology is applied to a case study based on the modified IEEE 68-bus benchmark system under partial and full IBR penetration, while its accuracy is validated through EMT time-domain simulations using linear and nonlinear models developed in Matlab/Simulink environment.
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All authors Onur Alican, Dionysios Moutevelis, Marc Cheah-Mañe, Oriol Gomis-Bellmunt, Eduardo Prieto-Araujo

Systems and Control

Data-Based Clustering and Control of Similar Biological Systems

Cybergenetic control of gene expression enables applications in synthetic biology, drug development, and biomanufacturing. Microfluidic platforms allow the parallel control of large cell populations. However, the resulting computational burden and intrinsic biological heterogeneity limit the scalability of conventional control strategies. In this work, we propose a similarity-based framework to reduce the computational requirement of controlling large numbers of dynamical systems. Building on existing data-driven methods for quantifying control-relevant similarity from input-output data, we cluster systems with similar dynamics without requiring explicit system identification. Based on this grouping, we develop a hierarchical leader-follower control architecture, where a single controller is designed for each cluster and applied to all members. This significantly reduces the number of control problems that need to be solved. Furthermore, we analyse the closed-loop behaviour within clusters and develop data-driven conditions under which the clustered closed-loop systems remain well-posed. The proposed approach is demonstrated in simulations of gene expression dynamics, showing that similarity-based grouping enables scalable and reliable control of heterogeneous biological systems.
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Systems and Control

Can Julia land on the Moon? On the development of a GNC simulation framework for the Argonaut lunar lander

No, the Julia programming language cannot land on the Moon - but it can play a crucial role in designing and analysing the Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC) algorithms required for doing so. This paper presents the development of a lunar landing simulation framework implemented in Julia at the European Space Agency (ESA), within the Argonaut lunar lander programme. ATLAS (Argonaut Tools for Landing Analysis and Simulation) is a modular suite of analysis and simulation tools that cover the complete descent and landing phase of Argonaut, integrating high fidelity translational and rotational dynamics, varying mass properties, propellant sloshing, detailed sensor and actuator models, and flight-representative GNC algorithms within a multi-rate simulation environment. The framework is intended to bridge early-phase prototyping and large-scale Monte Carlo analysis within a single environment. This work evaluates the advantages and limitations of adopting Julia compared to established GNC development practices based on the MATLAB/Simulink ecosystem. The results show that Julia provides a powerful, flexible, and high-performance environment for agency-driven research, early-phase design studies, and computationally intensive closed-loop simulations enabling large-scale, parallelizable simulations and rapid design iteration cycles.
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Systems and Control · Cross-listed from cs.RO

Predictive Zonotope Reduction: Precise Runtime Monitoring under Uncertainty

Robots operating in physical environments make control decisions based on uncertain sensor measurements, which can lead to unsafe or suboptimal actions. Runtime monitors that check their behavior against safety specifications must represent this uncertainty soundly. Zonotopes are a widely used representation, but continuously incorporating new measurements grows their order unboundedly, so monitors must periodically apply an over-approximating reduction. The choice of the reduction method substantially affects the zonotope's precision, yet existing approaches typically utilize a fixed method throughout the run, even though the optimal choice depends on the current state. This paper presents a Predictive Zonotope Reduction (PZR) approach, which frames reducer selection as an optimal control problem and solves it using beam-search model predictive control. Policy distillation into a small neural policy further provides substantially higher execution speed than model predictive control while maintaining improved performance, enabling uncertainty-aware runtime monitoring on resource-constrained real-time systems. We implement our approach in the RLola runtime monitoring framework and evaluate it on a 5-degree-of-freedom robotic arm simulated in MuJoCo, with sensor uncertainty modeled according to ISO 5725. Experiments on a Raspberry Pi 5 show that dynamic reduction significantly lowers false-positive rates in monitoring compared with static reduction strategies.
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All authors Vladimir Krsmanovic, Florian Kohn, Bernd Finkbeiner, Milan Simovic

Systems and Control

Synchronization of directed hypergraphs with heterogeneities via dynamic coupling

Many real-world networks involve interactions among three or more agents that cannot be reduced to pairwise coupling, making hypergraphs a natural modeling framework. In this work, we study complete synchronization in directed hypergraphs of nonlinear agents with parameter mismatches under dynamic diffusive coupling. Although proportional-integral coupling schemes are known to achieve consensus in heterogeneous linear networks, their ability to enforce complete synchronization in nonlinear systems is more limited, generally yielding only bounded synchronization. We show that complete synchronization can be attained only when the effect of parameter mismatches is structurally equivalent, in the transverse dynamics, to a constant disturbance. Under this condition, we derive invariance and local stability conditions for the synchronization manifold and develop a Master Stability Function framework for directed hypergraphs with dynamic coupling. The proposed approach accounts for distinct proportional and integral hypergraph layers and provides spectral criteria for predicting synchronization regions. Numerical simulations on directed hypergraphs of Lorenz oscillators validate the theoretical predictions and show how the integral action can compensate destabilizing effects induced by the proportional layer. We further demonstrate the applicability of the framework to a pinning-control problem in nonlinear opinion dynamics, where dynamic diffusive coupling achieves complete leader-follower consensus in the presence of heterogeneity.
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Systems and Control · Cross-listed from math.OC

Beyond Higher-Pulse Rectification: Operational Harmonic Coordination in Renewable P2H Systems

Thyristor rectifiers (TRs) are cost-effective electrolysis power supplies for renewable power-to-hydrogen (ReP2H) systems, but their harmonics may violate grid-code limits. In contrast to conventional solutions that rely on higher-pulse (such as 24-pulse) rectifiers, this paper proposes an operational harmonic coordination scheme that enables low-cost 12-pulse TRs to meet harmonic requirements through coordinated operation. First, a harmonic model quantifies the effects of rectifier transformer (RCT) tap positions and electrolytic currents, enabling harmonic cancellation among multiple electrolyzers (ELZs). A two-layer framework then coordinates hydrogen production and harmonic mitigation. Hourly scheduling determines ELZ commitment within the harmonic feasible region under renewable uncertainty using stochastic programming and a modified progressive hedging algorithm, while minute-level dispatch tracks renewable power and mitigates harmonics. A decomposition algorithm separates production dispatch from harmonic mitigation to improve computational efficiency. Case studies based on real-life projects show that the proposed method increases profit by 31% over current-only regulation. Annual simulations further show that coordinated 12-pulse TRs can replace 24-pulse rectifiers for harmonic compliance by exchanging additional RCT tap actions for lower transformer investment, reducing rectification-stage cost by 37.5%.
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All authors Yangjun Zeng, Yiwei Qiu, Jie Zhu, Yi Zhou, Tao Wu, Xin Meng, Shi Chen, Buxiang Zhou, Kaigui Xie

Systems and Control

Taylor-Informed Predictive Cost Adaptive Control for Quadrotors with Online Gravity-Trim Adaptation

This paper develops Taylor-informed predictive cost adaptive control (PCAC) for quadrotors with online gravity-trim adaptation. First-, second-, and third-order expansions of the nonlinear dynamics about nominal hover define sparse sampled-data dictionaries for row-wise recursive least-squares identification with variable-rate forgetting. At each step, the identified predictor is linearized at the current state, and its Jacobian is fixed over the prediction horizon. The identified vertical dynamics also estimate the vehicle mass and gravity-trim input, eliminating fixed nominal gravity compensation. Simulations with an abrupt payload change and aggressive helix tracking show that the higher-order predictors improve prediction and tracking while preserving the standard PCAC formulation.
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