Boundary Control of Coupled Reaction-Advection-Diffusion Systems With Spatially-Varying Coefficients

Recently, the problem of boundary stabilization for unstable linear constant-coefficient coupled reaction-diffusion systems was solved by means of the back-stepping method. The extension of this result to systems with advection terms and spatially-varying coefficients is challenging due to complex boundary conditions that appear in the equations verified by the control kernels. In this technical note we address this issue by showing that these equations are essentially equivalent to those verified by the control kernels for first-order hyperbolic coupled systems, which were recently found to be well-posed. The result therefore applies in this case, allowing us to prove H-1 stability for the closed-loop system. It also unveils a previously unknown connection between backstepping kernels for coupled parabolic and hyperbolic problems.