Speaker:Thomas Surowiec, Humboldt University of Berlin
Title: Solving optimal control problems governed by variational inequalities of the first and second kind via non-smooth analysis and bundle-free implicit programming approaches

Abstract: Using tools from non-smooth and set-valued analysis, we derive differential sensitivity results of the solution operator for certain classes of variational inequalities of the first and second kind. This allows for the derivation of primal and dual first-order optimality conditions of the control problem. Using the primal conditions, we investigate the calculation of a robust descent direction for the reduced objective functional. Numerical algorithms are then presented and their performance is demonstrated by considering the optimal control of a unilateral obstacle problem and a problem inspired by simplified friction.

Time: Friday, September 12, 2014, 1:30-2:30 p.m.

Place: Exploratory Hall (formerly S & T II), Room 4106

Department of Mathematical Sciences
George Mason University
4400 University Drive, MS 3F2
Fairfax, VA 22030-4444
http://math.gmu.edu/
Tel. 703-993-1460, Fax. 703-993-1491