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We consider the small-time local controllability in the vicinity of the ground state of a bilinear Schr\"odinger equation with Neumann boundary conditions. We prove that, when the linearized system is not controllable, the nonlinear system is not controllable, due to a quadratic obstruction involving the squared norm of the control's primitive. This obstruction has been known since 1983 for ODEs and observed for some PDEs since 2006. However, our situation is more intricate since the kernel describing the quadratic expansion of the solution is not twice differentiable. We thus follow a Fourier-based approach, closer to the one used for quadratic obstructions of fractional Sobolev regularity. In this Fourier-based approach, a challenge is to formulate a necessary and sufficient condition on the convolution kernel, for the quadratic form to be coercive. In previous studies, the coercivity was ensured by a signed asymptotic equivalent for the Fourier transform of the convolution kernel of the form $\widehat{K}(\omega) \sim \omega^{-2}$ as $|\omega| \to \infty$. In our case, $\widehat{K}$ is a distribution which has singularities and changes sign up to infinity. We still prove coercivity because one of the signs appears too infrequently.

Our goal is to highlight some of the deep links between numerical splitting methods and control theory. We consider evolution equations of the form $\dot{x} = f_0(x) + f_1(x)$, where $f_0$ encodes a non-reversible dynamic, so that one is interested in schemes only involving forward flows of $f_0$. In this context, a splitting method can be interpreted as a trajectory of the control-affine system $\dot{x}(t)=f_0(x(t))+u(t)f_1(x(t))$, associated with a control~$u$ which is a finite sum of Dirac masses. The general goal is then to find a control such that the flow of $f_0 + u(t) f_1$ is as close as possible to the flow of $f_0+f_1$. Using this interpretation and classical tools from control theory, we revisit well-known results concerning numerical splitting methods, and we prove a handful of new ones, with an emphasis on splittings with additional positivity conditions on the coefficients. First, we show that there exist numerical schemes of any arbitrary order involving only forward flows of $f_0$ if one allows complex coefficients for the flows of $f_1$. Equivalently, for complex-valued controls, we prove that the Lie algebra rank condition is equivalent to the small-time local controllability of a system. Second, for real-valued coefficients, we show that the well-known order restrictions are linked with so-called "bad" Lie brackets from control theory, which are known to yield obstructions to small-time local controllability. We use our recent basis of the free Lie algebra to precisely identify the conditions under which high-order methods exist., Comment: 35 pages

Gagliardo-Nirenberg interpolation inequalities relate Lebesgue norms of iterated derivatives of a function. We present a generalization of these inequalities in which the low-order term of the right-hand side is replaced by a Lebesgue norm of a pointwise product of derivatives of the function.

We present a unified approach for determining and proving obstructions to small-time local controllability of scalar-input control systems. Our approach views obstructions to controllability as resulting from interpolation inequalities between the functionals associated with the formal Lie brackets of the system. Using this approach, we give compact unified proofs of all known necessary conditions, we prove a conjecture of 1986 due to Kawski, and we derive entirely new obstructions. Our work doubles the number of previously-known necessary conditions, all established in the 1980s. In particular, for the third quadratic bracket, we derive a new necessary condition which is complementary to the Agrachev-Gamkrelidze sufficient ones. We rely on a recent Magnus-type representation formula for the state, a new Hall basis of the free Lie algebra over two generators, an appropriate use of Sussmann's infinite product to compute the Magnus expansion, and Gagliardo-Nirenberg interpolation inequalities., Comment: Enhanced introductory explanations of the approach in Sections 1, 2, 4. Added Section 10 to solve the m=-1 case

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the well-posedness of several linear and nonlinear equations with a parabolic forward-backward structure, and to highlight the similarities and differences between them. The epitomal linear example will be the stationary Kolmogorov equation $y\partial_x u -\partial_{yy} u=f$ in a rectangle. We first prove that this equation admits a finite number of singular solutions, of which we provide an explicit construction. Hence, the solutions to the Kolmogorov equation associated with a smooth source term are regular if and only if $f$ satisfies a finite number of orthogonality conditions. This is similar to well-known phenomena in elliptic problems in polygonal domains. We then extend this theory to a Vlasov--Poisson--Fokker--Planck system, and to two quasilinear equations: the Burgers type equation $u \partial_x u - \partial_{yy} u = f$ in the vicinity of the linear shear flow, and the Prandtl system in the vicinity of a recirculating solution, close to the line where the horizontal velocity changes sign. We therefore revisit part of a recent work by Iyer and Masmoudi. For the two latter quasilinear equations, we introduce a geometric change of variables which simplifies the analysis. In these new variables, the linear differential operator is very close to the Kolmogorov operator $y\partial_x -\partial_{yy}$. Stepping on the linear theory, we prove existence and uniqueness of regular solutions for data within a manifold of finite codimension, corresponding to some nonlinear orthogonality conditions., Comment: 111 pages; major revision wrt v3 ; includes 1) a new nonlinear change of variables, 2) simplified proof for Burgers, 3) construction of solutions for Prandtl, 4) minor enhancements wrt v4

We derive a priori bounds on the size of the structure constants of the free Lie algebra over a set of indeterminates, relative to its Hall bases. We investigate their asymptotic growth, especially as a function of the length of the involved Lie brackets. First, using the classical recursive decomposition algorithm, we obtain a rough upper bound valid for all Hall bases. We then introduce new notions (which we call alphabetic subsets and relative foldings) related to structural properties of the Lie brackets created by the algorithm, which allow us to prove a sharp upper bound for the general case. We also prove that the length of the relative folding provides a strictly decreasing indexation of the recursive rewriting algorithm. Moreover, we derive lower bounds on the structure constants proving that they grow at least geometrically in all Hall bases. Second, for the celebrated historical length-compatible Hall bases and the Lyndon basis, we prove tighter sharp upper bounds, which turn out to be geometric in the length of the brackets. Third, we construct two new Hall bases, illustrating two opposite behaviors in the two-indeterminates case. One is designed so that its structure constants have the minimal growth possible, matching exactly the general lower bound, linked with the Fibonacci sequence. The other one is designed so that its structure constants grow super-geometrically. Eventually, we investigate asymmetric growth bounds which isolate the role of one particular indeterminate. Despite the existence of super-geometric Hall bases, we prove that the asymmetric growth with respect to each fixed indeterminate is uniformly at most geometric in all Hall bases., Comment: Fixed typos

This note echoes the talk given by the second author during the Journ\'ees EDP 2018 in Obernai. Its aim is to provide an overview and a sketch of proof of the result obtained by the authors, concerning the controllability of the Navier-Stokes equation. We refer the interested readers to the original paper for the full technical details of the proof, which will be omitted here, to focus on the main underlying ideas., Comment: Notes on arxiv:1801.01860

We consider the 2D incompressible Navier-Stokes equation in a rectangle with the usual no-slip boundary condition prescribed on the upper and lower boundaries. We prove that for any positive time, for any finite energy initial data, there exist controls on the left and right boundaries and a distributed force, which can be chosen arbitrarily small in any Sobolev norm in space, such that the corresponding solution is at rest at the given final time. Our work improves earlier results where the distributed force is small only in a negative Sobolev space. It is a further step towards an answer to Jacques-Louis Lions' question about the small-time global exact boundary controllability of the Navier-Stokes equation with the no-slip boundary condition, for which no distributed force is allowed. Our analysis relies on the well-prepared dissipation method already used for Burgers and for Navier-Stokes in the case of the Navier slip-with-friction boundary condition. In order to handle the larger boundary layers associated with the no-slip boundary condition, we perform a preliminary regularization into analytic functions with arbitrarily large analytic radius and prove a long-time nonlinear Cauchy-Kovalevskaya estimate relying only on horizontal analyticity., Comment: Added remarks and detailed proof of Lemma 2.1

We consider scalar-input control systems in the vicinity of an equilibrium, at which the linearized systems are not controllable. For finite dimensional control systems, the authors recently classified the possible quadratic behaviors. Quadratic terms introduce coercive drifts in the dynamics, quantified by integer negative Sobolev norms, which are linked to Lie brackets and which prevent smooth small-time local controllability for the full nonlinear system. In the context of nonlinear parabolic equations, we prove that the same obstructions persist. More importantly, we prove that two new behaviors occur, which are impossible in finite dimension. First, there exists a continuous family of quadratic obstructions quantified by fractional negative Sobolev norms or by weighted variations of them. Second, and more strikingly, small-time local null controllability can sometimes be recovered from the quadratic expansion. We also construct a system for which an infinite number of directions are recovered using a quadratic expansion. As in the finite dimensional case, the relation between the regularity of the controls and the strength of the possible quadratic obstructions plays a key role in our analysis., Comment: New version includes 1) concrete examples in section 1, 2) explanatory remarks, 3) refined estimates in sections 5 and 6

The present paper is about a famous extension of the Prandtl equation, the so-called Interactive Boundary Layer model (IBL). This model has been used intensively in the numerics of steady boundary layer flows, and compares favorably to the Prandtl one, especially past separation. We consider here the unsteady version of the IBL, and study its linear well-posedness, namely the linear stability of shear flow solutions to high frequencyperturbations. We show that the IBL model exhibits strong unrealistic instabilities, that are in particular distinct from the Tollmien-Schlichting waves. We also exhibit similar instabilities for a Prescribed Displacement Thickness model (PDT), which is one of the building blocks of numerical implementations of the IBL model.

We investigate the small-time local controllability of systems in the vicinity of an equilibrium. Given a small time, an initial data and a final data close from the equilibrium, is it possible to find a control (a source term) that guides the solution from the initial state to the wished final state at the given time? The natural method is to start by studying the controllability of the linearized system near the equilibrium. When this system is not controllable, it is necessary to continue the expansion with the quadratic order.In this note, we highlight the links between different recent results around this topic, in the particular case where the control is a single scalar input. These results tend to prove that, in this particular case, the quadratic order can only yield obstructions to controllability. We especially comment an exhaustive result obtained in collaboration with Karine Beauchard in finite dimension and a result contained in the thesis of the author, which involves a new kind of phenomenon in infinite dimension., Comment: in French

We consider nonlinear scalar-input differential control systems in the vicinity of an equilibrium. When the linearized system at the equilibrium is controllable, the nonlinear system is smoothly small-time locally controllable, i.e., whatever $m>0$ and $T>0$, the state can reach a whole neighborhood of the equilibrium at time $T$ with controls arbitrary small in $C^m$-norm. When the linearized system is not controllable, we prove that small-time local controllability cannot be recovered from the quadratic expansion and that the following quadratic alternative holds. Either the state is constrained to live within a smooth strict invariant manifold, up to a cubic residual, or the quadratic order adds a signed drift in the evolution with respect to this manifold. In the second case, the quadratic drift holds along an explicit Lie bracket of length $(2k+1)$, it is quantified in terms of an $H^{-k}$-norm of the control, it holds for controls small in $W^{2k,\infty}$-norm. These spaces are optimal for general nonlinear systems and are slightly improved in the particular case of control-affine systems. Unlike other works based on Lie-series formalism, our proof is based on an explicit computation of the quadratic terms by means of appropriate transformations. In particular, it does not require that the vector fields defining the dynamic are smooth. We prove that $C^3$ regularity is sufficient for our alternative to hold. This work underlines the importance of the norm used in the smallness assumption on the control: depending on this choice of functional setting, the same system may or may not be small-time locally controllable, even though the state lives within a finite dimensional space.

In this proceeding we expose a particular case of a recent result obtained by the authors regarding the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations in a smooth bounded and simply connected bounded domain, either in 2D or in 3D, with a Navier slip-with-friction boundary condition except on a part of the boundary. This under-determination encodes that one has control over the remaining part of the boundary. We prove that for any initial data, for any positive time, there exists a weak Leray solution which vanishes at this given time.

In this work, we investigate the small-time global exact controllability of the Navier-Stokes equation, both towards the null equilibrium state and towards weak trajectories. We consider a viscous incompressible fluid evolving within a smooth bounded domain, either in 2D or in 3D. The controls are only located on a small part of the boundary, intersecting all its connected components. On the remaining parts of the boundary, the fluid obeys a Navier slip-with-friction boundary condition. Even though viscous boundary layers appear near these uncontrolled boundaries, we prove that small-time global exact controllability holds. Our analysis relies on the controllability of the Euler equation combined with asymptotic boundary layer expansions. Choosing the boundary controls with care enables us to guarantee good dissipation properties for the residual boundary layers, which can then be exactly canceled using local techniques.

In this work, we are interested in the small time local null controllability for the viscous Burgers' equation $y_t - y_{xx} + y y_x = u(t)$ on the line segment $[0,1]$, with null boundary conditions. The second-hand side is a scalar control playing a role similar to that of a pressure. In this setting, the classical Lie bracket necessary condition $[f_1,[f_1,f_0]]$ introduced by Sussmann fails to conclude. However, using a quadratic expansion of our system, we exhibit a second order obstruction to small time local null controllability. This obstruction holds although the information propagation speed is infinite for the Burgers equation. Our obstruction involves the weak $H^{-5/4}$ norm of the control $u$. The proof requires the careful derivation of an integral kernel operator and the estimation of residues by means of weakly singular integral operator estimates.

In this work, we are interested in the small time global null controllability for the viscous Burgers' equation y_t - y_xx + y y_x = u(t) on the line segment [0,1]. The second-hand side is a scalar control playing a role similar to that of a pressure. We set y(t,1) = 0 and restrict ourselves to using only two controls (namely the interior one u(t) and the boundary one y(t,0)). In this setting, we show that small time global null controllability still holds by taking advantage of both hyperbolic and parabolic behaviors of our system. We use the Cole-Hopf transform and Fourier series to derive precise estimates for the creation and the dissipation of a boundary layer.