Control of Wave and Beam PDEs is a concise, self-contained introduction to Riesz bases in Hilbert space and their applications to control systems described by partial differential equations (PDEs). The authors discuss classes of systems that satisfy the spectral determined growth condition, the problem of stability, and the relationship between fulfillment of the condition and stability.

Using the (fundamental) Riesz-basis property, the book shows how controllability, observability, stability, etc., can be derived for a linear system. The text provides a crash course in the mathematical theory of Riesz bases so that a reader can quickly understand this powerful method of dealing with linear PDEs. It introduces several important methods for achieving the Riesz basis property through spectral analysis, as well as new approaches including treatment of systems coupled through boundary weak connections.

The book moves from a discussion of mathematical preliminaries through bases in Hilbert Spaces to applications to Euler–Bernoulli and Rayleigh beam equations and hybrid systems. The final chapter expands the use of the book’s methods to applications in other systems.

Many typical examples, representing physical systems, are discussed in the text. The book is suitable not only for applied mathematicians seeking a powerful tool to understand control systems, but also for control engineers interested in the mathematics of PDE systems.