Special issue on robust stability and control of large-scale nonlinear systems

Abstract

In a broad sense, large-scale systems theory is concerned with the analysis and design of often very high-dimensional systems that admit some kind of partition into smaller subsystems. Research in linear large-scale systems analysis and synthesis can be traced back to at least the 1970s. Recently, interest in this subject has been revived by new developments in nonlinear systems and control, which include but are not limited to dissipative systems theory, input-to-state stability, and various Lyapunov and smallgain design schemes. Systems and control theory itself has seen many important advances since the 1970s, including, e.g., concepts like control Lyapunov functions, effective implementations of nonlinear model predictive control, or entire emerging areas like hybrid systems and cooperative multi-agent systems. Naturally, these developments also leap into the area of large-scale systems. It is hence to be expected that the interest in this area will continue to increase, ultimately also due to, e.g., current research efforts in distributed model predictive control, next generation smart electricity grids, incorporating green and renewable energy sources, or bioand neuro-engineering. Many questions are associated with the theory of large-scale systems. A quite central one is about sufficient conditions on interconnections of a number of stable systems such that the composite system is also stable. Another one is how individual