Diederich Hinrichsen (born 17 February 1939) is a German mathematician who, together with
Hans W. Knobloch, established the field of
dynamical systems theory and
control theory
Control theory is a field of mathematics that deals with the control of dynamical systems in engineered processes and machines. The objective is to develop a model or algorithm governing the application of system inputs to drive the system to a ...
in Germany.
Life and work
Diederich Hinrichsen was born in 1939, and studied mathematics,
physics
Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...
, literature, philosophy, and economics from 1958 to 1965 in
Hamburg
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.
In 1966 he got his PhD at the
University of Erlangen under the supervision of Heinz Bauer. His main research area at that time was abstract
potential theory
In mathematics and mathematical physics, potential theory is the study of harmonic functions.
The term "potential theory" was coined in 19th-century physics when it was realized that two fundamental forces of nature known at the time, namely gravi ...
, with special focus on extensions of the Cauchy-Weil theorem to the Choquet boundary. After research visits in Paris and
Hamburg
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, he went to
Havana
Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center. where he helped to re-establish mathematics in Cuba. After an appointment to
Bielefeld, he became professor of mathematics at the
University of Bremen.
Hinrichsen was the founding director of the Research Center for Dynamical Systems, concentrating on finite- and infinite-dimensional
linear systems
In systems theory, a linear system is a mathematical model of a system based on the use of a linear operator.
Linear systems typically exhibit features and properties that are much simpler than the nonlinear case.
As a mathematical abstraction ...
, stochastic
dynamical systems
In mathematics, a dynamical system is a system in which a function describes the time dependence of a point in an ambient space. Examples include the mathematical models that describe the swinging of a clock pendulum, the flow of water in a p ...
,
nonlinear dynamics and
stability analysis.
He focused on algebraic
systems theory, parameterization problems in control and
linear algebra
Linear algebra is the branch of mathematics concerning linear equations such as:
:a_1x_1+\cdots +a_nx_n=b,
linear maps such as:
:(x_1, \ldots, x_n) \mapsto a_1x_1+\cdots +a_nx_n,
and their representations in vector spaces and through matrices.
...
, infinite-dimensional systems, and stability analysis, developing a comprehensive theory of
linear systems
In systems theory, a linear system is a mathematical model of a system based on the use of a linear operator.
Linear systems typically exhibit features and properties that are much simpler than the nonlinear case.
As a mathematical abstraction ...
. In a different direction, with Anthony J. Pritchard (
University of Warwick
The University of Warwick ( ; abbreviated as ''Warw.'' in post-nominal letters) is a public research university on the outskirts of Coventry between the West Midlands (county), West Midlands and Warwickshire, England. The university was founded i ...
), he worked on concepts of stability radii and spectral value sets, building up a
robustness
Robustness is the property of being strong and healthy in constitution. When it is transposed into a system, it refers to the ability of tolerating perturbations that might affect the system’s functional body. In the same line ''robustness'' ca ...
theory covering deterministic and stochastic aspects of
dynamical systems
In mathematics, a dynamical system is a system in which a function describes the time dependence of a point in an ambient space. Examples include the mathematical models that describe the swinging of a clock pendulum, the flow of water in a p ...
.
After retiring in Germany, he is now a professor at
Carlos III in Madrid.
Selected publications
* 1982. ''Feedback Control of Linear and Nonlinear Systems'', with Alberto Isidori. Heidelberg : Springer.
* 1990. ''Control of Uncertain Systems. Progress in Systems & Control Theory'', with Bengt Martensson. Boston : Birkhäuser.
* 1999. ''Advances in Mathematical Systems Theory. In Honor of Diederich Hinrichsen'', Boston : Birkhäuser
* 2005. ''Mathematical Systems Theory'', with A. J. Pritchard. Heidelberg : Springer
References
External links
Extended list of selected publications by Diederich Hinrichsen*
Spectral value sets: a graphical tool for robustness analysis(Post-script file; ~8 MB)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hinrichsen, Diederich
1939 births
20th-century German mathematicians
21st-century German mathematicians
Control theorists
Living people
Systems scientists
Academic staff of the Charles III University of Madrid