Continuous-Time Covariance Steering with Common Free-Final Time: Finite-Horizon Solutions and Infinite-Horizon Limits

Abstract

This article studies the optimal common free-final time problem for steering the state covariance of a continuous-time stochastic linear system between prescribed initial and terminal covariance matrices. We first establish a deterministic reformulation of the SDE-constrained free-final time stochastic optimal control problem (SOCP). For the ensuing SOCP, we provide necessary conditions for optimality and establish sufficient conditions for the optimal common final time to be finite. Subsequently, we characterize the asymptotic behavior of the finite-horizon optimal solutions as the final time tends to infinity, the invariant sets and trajectories associated with this limiting regime, and derive the sensitivity of the Hamiltonian with respect to the common final time. Finally, leveraging these sensitivities, we develop a trust-region line-search algorithm together with an infinite-horizon case detection method, and demonstrate its performance on three different problems: (a) an illustrative covariance-steering example, (b) a demonstration of spacecraft maneuver using covariance control, and (c) Gaussian mixture to Gaussian mixture steering.