Input-output analysis and control design applied to a linear model of spatially developing flows

This review presents a framework for the input-output analysis, model reduction, and control design for fluid dynamical systems using examples applied to the linear complex Ginzburg-Landau equation. Major advances in hydrodynamics stability, such as global modes in spatially inhomogeneous systems and transient growth of non-normal systems, are reviewed. Input-output analysis generalizes hydrodynamic stability analysis by considering a finite-time horizon over which energy amplification, driven by a specific input (disturbances/actuator) and measured at a specific output (sensor), is observed. In the control design the loop is closed between the output and the input through a feedback gain. Model reduction approximates the system with a low-order model, making modern control design computationally tractable for systems of large dimensions. Methods from control theory are reviewed and applied to the Ginzburg-Landau equation in a manner that is readily generalized to fluid mechanics problems, thus giving a fluid mechanics audience an accessible introduction to the subject. © 2009 by ASME.