The paper studies the problem of optimal control for an abstract firstorder semilinear differential equation in a Hilbert space, with an unbounded operator and a control linearly entering the righthand side. The objective functional is assumed to be additively separable with respect to the state and control, with a fairly general dependence on the state. A theorem on the existence of an optimal control is proved for this problem, and properties of the set of optimal controls are established. Due to the nonlinearity of the equation under study, the author further develops previous results on total preservation of unique global solvability and solution estimates for similar equations. This estimate proves essential for the investigation. As examples, a nonlinear heat conduction equation and a nonlinear wave equation are considered.
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