H-Infinity Optimal Control for Systems With a Bottleneck Frequency

We characterize a class of systems for which the H-infinity optimal control problem can be simplified in a way that enables sparse solutions and efficient computation. For a subclass of the systems, an optimal controller can be explicitly expressed in terms of the matrices of the system's state-space representation. In many applications, the controller given by this formula, which is static, can be implemented in a decentralized or distributed fashion. Examples are temperature dynamics in buildings, water irrigation, and electrical networks.