Calculus of Variations and Geometric Measure Theory

M. Della Rossa - Thiago Alves Lima - L. Freddi

Pattern preservation in finite to infinite-horizon optimal control problems for dissipative systems

created by freddi on 19 Feb 2026

[BibTeX]

preprint

Inserted: 19 feb 2026

Year: 2026

ArXiv: 2602.14944 PDF

Abstract:

This paper focuses on infinite-horizon optimal control problems for dissipative systems and the relations to their finite-horizon formulations. We show that, for a large class of problems, dissipativity of the state equation, when a coercive storage function exists, implies that infinite-horizon optimal controls can be obtained as limits of the corresponding finite-horizon ones. This property is referred to as pattern preservation, or pattern-preserving property. Our analysis establishes a formal link between dissipativity theory and the variational convergence framework in optimal control, thus providing a concrete and numerically tractable condition for verifying pattern preservation. Numerical examples illustrate the effectiveness and limitations of the proposed sufficient conditions.