This text addresses systems with persistent memory that are common mathematical models used in the study of viscoelasticity and thermodynamics with memory. In particular, this class of systems is used to model non-Fickian diffusion in the presence of complex molecular structures. Hence, it has wide applications in biology. The book focuses on the properties and controllability of the archetypal heat and wave equations with memory and introduces the dynamic approach to identification problems and the basic techniques used in the study of stability. The book presents several approaches currently used to study systems with persistent memory: Volterra equation in Hilbert spaces, Laplace transform techniques and semigroup methods. The text is intended for a diverse audience in applied mathematics and engineering and it can be used in PhD courses. Readers are recommended to have a background in the elements of functional analysis. Topics of functional analysis which younger readers may need to familiarize with are presented in the book.

The subject of the book includes the study of control problems for systems which are encountered in viscoelasticity, non-Fickian diffusion and thermodynamic with memory. The common feature of these systems is that memory of the whole past history persists in the future. This class of systems is actively studied now, as documented in the recent book. This book will attract a diversified audience, in particular, engineers working on distributed systems, and applied mathematicians. Background of mathematics are the elements of functional analysis, which is now standard among people working on distributed systems, and the author describes very clearly the instruments which are used at every step.

The fundamental problem in control engineering is to provide robust performance to uncertain plants. H -control theory began in the early eighties as an attempt to lay down rigorous foundations on the classical robust control requirements. It now turns out that H -control theory is at the crossroads of several important directions of research space or polynomial approach to control and classical interpolation theory; harmonic analysis and operator theory; minimax LQ stochastic control and integral equations. The book presents the underlying fundamental ideas, problems and advances through the pen of leading contributors to the field, for graduate students and researchers in both engineering and mathematics. From the Contents: C. Foias: Commutant Lifting Techniques for Computing Optimal H Controllers.- B.A. Francis: Lectures on H Control and Sampled-Data Systems.- J.W. Helton: Two Topics in Systems Engineering Frequency Domain Design and Nonlinear System.- H. Kwakernaak: The Polynomial Approach to H -Optimal Regulation.- J.B. Pearson: A Short Course in l - Optimal Control

This text addresses systems with persistent memory that are common mathematical models used in the study of viscoelasticity and thermodynamics with memory. In particular, this class of systems is used to model non-Fickian diffusion in the presence of complex molecular structures. Hence, it has wide applications in biology. The book focuses on the properties and controllability of the archetypal heat and wave equations with memory and introduces the dynamic approach to identification problems and the basic techniques used in the study of stability. The book presents several approaches currently used to study systems with persistent memory: Volterra equation in Hilbert spaces, Laplace transform techniques and semigroup methods. The text is intended for a diverse audience in applied mathematics and engineering and it can be used in PhD courses. Readers are recommended to have a background in the elements of functional analysis. Topics of functional analysis which younger readers may need to familiarize with are presented in the book.