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The dielectric constant ($\varepsilon^{\prime}$) of interfacial water is an important parameter, but its measurement has posed challenges, and no consensus has been reached on a generalized expression. We derived a formula for $\varepsilon^{\prime}$ of a buried interface using the slab model for a half-solvated sphere: $ \varepsilon^{\prime}=\varepsilon_1 \varepsilon_2\left(\varepsilon_2-\varepsilon_1+6\right) / 2\left(2 \varepsilon_2+\varepsilon_1\right)$, where $\varepsilon_1$ and $\varepsilon_2$ are the dielectric constants of the solid and liquid phases, respectively. We experimentally validated this expression using vibrational sum frequency generation and Fresnel factor calculations for interfaces of alumina with water ($ \mathrm{H_2O} $ and $ \mathrm{D_2O} $) and acetonitrile. This fills an important knowledge gap in the description of the dielectric constant of interfaces.

This study examines the anisotropic dissolution of the basal plane gibbsite ({\gamma}-Al(OH)3) nanoplates in sodium hydroxide solution using in situ atomic force microscopy (AFM) and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. In the surface-reaction controlled regime, in situ AFM measurements reveal anisotropic dissolution of hillocks and etch pits on the gibbsite basal plane, with preferred dissolution directions alternating between layers. The mirror-symmetric pattern of dissolution preference between adjacent gibbsite aluminum hydroxide sheet, observed along the crystallographic a-c plane, results from the matching symmetry between the structures of the adjacent (001) and (002) crystal planes. Consequently, the overall dissolution rate of gibbsite nanoplates exhibits crystallographic a-c plane symmetry, as the rate of parallel steps is governed by the slower ones. DFT calculations suggest that the anisotropic dissolution is partially due to the orientation and strength of Al-OH-Al linkages pair within gibbsite surface structure. These findings offer a comprehensive understanding of anisotropic dissolution behavior of gibbsite and illuminate the mechanisms behind preferential dissolution., Comment: Supporting information is available at https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JXldLu0XwG2VYxQ7YgNZwvFdPuwyPJX4/view?usp=sharing

The controllable synthesis of iron oxides particles is a critical issue for materials science, energy storage, biomedical applications, environmental science, and earth science. However, synthesis of iron oxides with desired phase and size are still a time-consuming and trial-and-error process. This study presents solutions for two fundamental challenges in materials synthesis: predicting the outcome of a synthesis from specified reaction parameters and correlating sets of parameters to obtain products with desired outcomes. Four machine learning algorithms, including random forest, logistic regression, support vector machine, and k-nearest neighbor, were trained to predict the phase and particle size of iron oxide based on experimental conditions. Among the models, random forest exhibited the best performance, achieving 96% and 81% accuracy when predicting the phase and size of iron oxides in the test dataset. Premutation feature importance analysis shows that most models (except logistic regression) rely on known features such as precursor concentration, pH, and temperature to predict the phases from synthesis conditions. The robustness of the random forest models was further verified by comparing prediction and experimental results based on 24 randomly generated methods in additive and non-additive systems not included in the datasets. The predictions of product phase and particle size from the models are in good agreement with the experimental results. Additionally, a searching and ranking algorithm was developed to recommend potential synthesis parameters for obtaining iron oxide products with desired phase and particle size from previous studies in the dataset., Comment: See link below for Supporting Information. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1boiUQtlBoc4nvXPoVDMkc4RCg2isWtZ5/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=108731997922646321851&rtpof=true&sd=true

We present a data-driven framework based on Lyapunov theory to provide stability guarantees for a family of hybrid systems. In particular, we are interested in the asymptotic stability of switching linear systems whose switching sequence is constrained by labeled graphs, namely constrained switching linear systems. In order to do so, we provide chance-constrained bounds on stability guarantees, that can be obtained from a finite number of noisy observations. We first present a method providing stability guarantees from sampled trajectories in the hybrid state-space of the system. We then study the harder situation where one only observes the continuous part of the hybrid states. We show that in this case, one may still obtain formal chance-constrained stability guarantees. For this latter result we provide a new upper bound of general interest, also for model-based stability analysis, Comment: Submitted to Nonlinear Analysis: Hybrid Systems

This report estimates the potential for secondary emission processes induced by ionizing radiation to result in the generation of quasiparticles in superconducting circuits. These estimates are based on evaluation of data collected from a small superconducting detector and a fluorescence measurement of typical read-out circuit board materials. Specifically, we study cosmic ray muons interacting with substrate or mechanical support materials present within the vicinity of superconducting circuits. We evaluate the potential for secondary emission, such as scintillation and/or fluorescence, from these nearby materials to occur at sufficient energy (wavelength) and rate (photon flux) to ultimately lead to the breaking of superconducting Copper pairs (i.e., production of quasiparticles). This evaluation leads to a conclusion that material fluorescence in the vicinity of superconducting circuits is a potential contributor to undesirable elevated quasiparticle populations. A co-design approach evaluating superconducting circuit design and the material environment within the immediate vicinity of the circuit would prove beneficial for mitigating undesired environmentally-induced influences on superconducting device performance, such as in direct detection dark matter sensors or quantum computing bits (qubits)., Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures

This paper deals with learning stability of partially observed switched linear systems under arbitrary switching. Such systems are widely used to describe cyber-physical systems which arise by combining physical systems with digital components. In many real-world applications, the internal states cannot be observed directly. It is thus more realistic to conduct system analysis using the outputs of the system. Stability is one of the most frequent requirement for safety and robustness of cyber-physical systems. Existing methods for analyzing stability of switched linear systems often require the knowledge of the parameters and/or all the states of the underlying system. In this paper, we propose an algorithm for deciding stability of switched linear systems under arbitrary switching based purely on observed output data. The proposed algorithm essentially relies on an output-based Lyapunov stability framework and returns an estimate of the joint spectral radius (JSR). We also prove a probably approximately correct error bound on the quality of the estimate of the JSR from the perspective of statistical learning theory.

We present an algorithmic framework for the identification of candidate invariant subspaces for switched linear systems. Namely, the framework allows to compute an orthonormal basis in which the matrices of the system are close to block-triangular matrices, based on a finite set of observed one-step trajectories and with a priori confidence level. The link between the existence of an invariant subspace and a common block-triangularization of the system matrices is well known. Under some assumptions on the system, one can also infer the existence of an invariant subspace when the matrices are close to be block-triangular. Our approach relies on quadratic Lyapunov analysis and recent tools in scenario optimization. We present two applications of our results for problems of consensus and opinion dynamics; the first one allows to identify the disconnected components in a switching hidden network, while the second one identifies the stationary opinion vector of a switching gossip process with antagonistic interactions.

We present a framework based on multiple Lyapunov functions to find probabilistic data-driven guarantees on the stability of unknown constrained switching linear systems (CSLS), which are switching linear systems whose switching signal is constrained by an automaton. The stability of a CSLS is characterized by its constrained joint spectral radius (CJSR). Inspired by the scenario approach and previous work on unconstrained switching systems, we characterize the number of observations needed to find sufficient conditions on the (in-)stability of a CSLS using the notion of CJSR. More precisely, our contribution is the following: we derive a probabilistic upper bound on the CJSR of an unknown CSLS from a finite number of observations. We also derive a deterministic lower bound on the CJSR. From this we obtain a probabilistic method to characterize the stability of an unknown CSLS., Comment: CDC2022 pre-print, 6 pages

We consider stability analysis of constrained switching linear systems in which the dynamics is unknown and whose switching signal is constrained by an automaton. We propose a data-driven Lyapunov framework for providing probabilistic stability guarantees based on data harvested from observations of the system. By generalizing previous results on arbitrary switching linear systems, we show that, by sampling a finite number of observations, we are able to construct an approximate Lyapunov function for the underlying system. Moreover, we show that the entropy of the language accepted by the automaton allows to bound the number of samples needed in order to reach some pre-specified accuracy., Comment: Extended abstract (4 pages), accepted final version

This paper is concerned with objective value performance of the scenario approach for robust convex optimization. A novel method is proposed to derive probabilistic bounds for the objective value from scenario programs with a finite number of samples. This method relies on a max-min reformulation and the concept of complexity of robust optimization problems. With additional continuity and regularity conditions, via sensitivity analysis, we also provide explicit bounds which outperform an existing result in the literature. To illustrate the improvements of our results, we also provide a numerical example.

We consider discrete-time switching systems composed of a finite family of affine sub-dynamics. First, we recall existing results and present further analysis on the stability problem, the existence and characterization of compact attractors, and the relations these problems have with the joint spectral radius of the set of matrices composing the linear part of the subsystems. Second, we tackle the problem of providing probabilistic certificates of stability along with the existence of forward invariant sets, assuming no knowledge on the system data but only observing a finite number of sampled trajectories. Some numerical examples illustrate the advantages and limits of the proposed conditions., Comment: 1 figure, paper submitted CDC2021

We present a new data-driven method to provide probabilistic stability guarantees for black-box switched linear systems. By sampling a finite number of observations of trajectories, we construct approximate Lyapunov functions and deduce the stability of the underlying system with a user-defined confidence. The number of observations required to attain this confidence level on the guarantee is explicitly characterized. Our contribution is twofold: first, we propose a novel approach for common quadratic Lyapunov functions, relying on sensitivity analysis of a quasi-convex optimization program. By doing so, we improve a recently proposed bound. Then, we show that our new approach allows for extension of the method to Sum of Squares Lyapunov functions, providing further improvement for the technique. We demonstrate these improvements on a numerical example., Comment: to be published in the proceedings of the 7th IFAC Conference on Analysis and Design of Hybrid Systems (ADHS 2021)

This paper tackles state feedback control of switched linear systems under arbitrary switching. We propose a data-driven control framework that allows to compute a stabilizing state feedback using only a finite set of observations of trajectories with quadratic and sum of squares (SOS) Lyapunov functions. We do not require any knowledge on the dynamics or the switching signal, and as a consequence, we aim at solving \emph{uniform} stabilization problems in which the feedback is stabilizing for all possible switching sequences. In order to generalize the solution obtained from trajectories to the actual system, probabilistic guarantees on the obtained quadratic or SOS Lyapunov function are derived in the spirit of scenario optimization. For the quadratic Lyapunov technique, the generalization relies on a geometric analysis argument, while, for the SOS Lyapunov technique, we follow a sensitivity analysis argument. In order to deal with high-dimensional systems, we also develop parallelized schemes for both techniques. We show that, with some modifications, the data-driven quadratic Lyapunov technique can be extended to LQR control design. Finally, the proposed data-driven control framework is demonstrated on several numerical examples., Comment: This is an extended version to the previous paper

We study quasi-convex optimization problems, where only a subset of the constraints can be sampled, and yet one would like a probabilistic guarantee on the obtained solution with respect to the initial (unknown) optimization problem. Even though our results are partly applicable to general quasi-convex problems, in this work we introduce and study a particular subclass, which we call "quasi-linear problems". We provide optimality conditions for these problems. Thriving on this, we extend the approach of chance-constrained convex optimization to quasi-linear optimization problems. Finally, we show that this approach is useful for the stability analysis of black-box switched linear systems, from a finite set of sampled trajectories. It allows us to compute probabilistic upper bounds on the JSR of a large class of switched linear systems.

In the framework of Model Predictive Control (MPC), the control input is typically computed by solving optimization problems repeatedly online. For general nonlinear systems, the online optimization problems are non-convex and computationally expensive or even intractable. In this paper, we propose to circumvent this issue by computing a high-dimensional linear embedding of discrete-time nonlinear systems. The computation relies on an algebraic condition related to the immersibility property of nonlinear systems and can be implemented offline. With the high-dimensional linear model, we then define and solve a convex online MPC problem. We also provide an interpretation of our approach under the Koopman operator framework., Comment: Accepted to the European Control Conference

In this paper, we propose an approach for computing invariant sets of discrete-time nonlinear systems by lifting the nonlinear dynamics into a higher dimensional linear model. In particular, we focus on the \emph{maximal admissible invariant set} contained in some given constraint set. For special types of nonlinear systems, which can be exactly immersed into higher dimensional linear systems with state transformations, invariant sets of the original nonlinear system can be characterized using the higher dimensional linear representation. For general nonlinear systems without the immersibility property, \emph{approximate immersions} are defined in a local region within some tolerance and linear approximations are computed by leveraging the fixed-point iteration technique for invariant sets. Given the bound on the mismatch between the linear approximation and the original system, we provide an invariant inner approximation of the \emph{maximal admissible invariant set} by a tightening procedure., Comment: Computational details of Example 2 are added. This paper is provisionally accepted in Automatica

In this paper, we consider the problem of invariant set computation for black-box switched linear systems using merely a finite set of observations of system trajectories. In particular, this paper focuses on polyhedral invariant sets. We propose a data-driven method based on the one step forward reachable set. For formal verification of the proposed method, we introduce the concepts of $\lambda$-contractive sets and almost-invariant sets for switched linear systems. The convexity-preserving property of switched linear systems allows us to conduct contraction analysis on the computed set and derive a probabilistic contraction property. In the spirit of non-convex scenario optimization, we also establish a chance-constrained guarantee on set invariance. The performance of our method is then illustrated by numerical examples., Comment: To appear in IEEE Control Systems Letters

We consider the problem of computing the maximal invariant set of discrete-time linear systems subject to a class of non-convex constraints that admit quadratic relaxations. These non-convex constraints include semialgebraic sets and other smooth constraints with Lipschitz gradient. With these quadratic relaxations, a sufficient condition for set invariance is derived and it can be formulated as a set of linear matrix inequalities. Based on the sufficient condition, a new algorithm is presented with finite-time convergence to the actual maximal invariant set under mild assumptions. This algorithm can be also extended to switched linear systems and some special nonlinear systems. The performance of this algorithm is demonstrated on several numerical examples., Comment: Accepted in Automatica

We consider the problem of computing the maximal invariant set of discrete-time black-box nonlinear systems without analytic dynamical models. Under the assumption that the system is asymptotically stable, the maximal invariant set coincides with the domain of attraction. A data-driven framework relying on the observation of trajectories is proposed to compute almost-invariant sets, which are invariant almost everywhere except a small subset. Based on these observations, scenario optimization problems are formulated and solved. We show that probabilistic invariance guarantees on the almost-invariant sets can be established. To get explicit expressions of such sets, a set identification procedure is designed with a verification step that provides inner and outer approximations in a probabilistic sense. The proposed data-driven framework is illustrated by several numerical examples., Comment: A shorter version with the title "Scenario-based set invariance verification for black-box nonlinear systems" is published in the IEEE Control Systems Letters (L-CSS)

Reaching consensus among states of a multi-agent system is a key requirement for many distributed control/optimization problems. Such a consensus is often achieved using the standard Laplacian matrix (for continuous system) or Perron matrix (for discrete-time system). Recent interest in speeding up consensus sees the development of finite-time consensus algorithms. This work proposes an approach to speed up finite-time consensus algorithm using the weights of a weighted Laplacian matrix. The approach is an iterative procedure that finds a low-order minimal polynomial that is consistent with the topology of the underlying graph. In general, the lowest-order minimal polynomial achievable for a network system is an open research problem. This work proposes a numerical approach that searches for the lowest order minimal polynomial via a rank minimization problem using a two-step approach: the first being an optimization problem involving the nuclear norm and the second a correction step. Several examples are provided to illustrate the effectiveness of the approach.

This paper proposes a Lyapunov-based economic MPC scheme for nonlinear sytems with non-monotonic Lyapunov functions. Relaxed Lyapunov-based constraints are used in the MPC formulation to improve the economic performance. These constraints will enforce a Lyapunov decrease after every few steps. Recursive feasibility and asymptotical convergence to the steady state can be achieved using Lyapunov-like stability analysis. The proposed economic MPC can be applied to minimize energy consumption in HVAC control of commercial buildings. The Lyapunov-based constraints in the online MPC problem enable the tracking of the desired set-point temperature. The performance is demonstrated by a virtual building composed of two adjacent zones.