Sampled-Data Wasserstein Distributionally Robust Control of Multiplicative Systems: A Convex Relaxation with Performance Guarantees

Fuente: arXiv
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Autor principal: Hsieh, Chung-Han
Formato: Preprint
Publicado: 2026
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author Hsieh, Chung-Han
author_facet Hsieh, Chung-Han
contents This paper investigates the robust optimal control of sampled-data stochastic systems with multiplicative noise and distributional ambiguity. We consider a class of discrete-time optimal control problems where the controller \emph{jointly} selects a feedback policy and a sampling period to maximize the worst-case expected concave utility of the inter-sample growth factor. Modeling uncertainty via a Wasserstein ambiguity set, we confront the structural obstacle of~``concave-max'' geometry arising from maximizing a concave utility against an adversarial distribution. Unlike standard convex loss minimization, the dual reformulation here requires a minimax interchange within the semi-infinite constraints, where the utility's concavity precludes exact strong duality. To address this, we utilize a general minimax inequality to derive a tractable convex relaxation. Our approach yields a rigorous lower bound that functions as a probabilistic performance guarantee. We establish an explicit, non-asymptotic bound on the resulting duality gap, proving that the approximation error is uniformly controlled by the Lipschitz-smoothness of the stage reward and the diameter of the disturbance support. Furthermore, we introduce necessary and sufficient conditions for \emph{robust viability}, ensuring state positivity invariance across the entire ambiguity set. Finally, we bridge the gap between static optimization and dynamic performance, proving that the optimal value of the relaxation serves as a rigorous deterministic floor for the asymptotic average utility rate almost surely. The framework is illustrated on a log-optimal portfolio control problem, which serves as a canonical instance of multiplicative stochastic control.
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id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2602_04219
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publishDate 2026
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spellingShingle Sampled-Data Wasserstein Distributionally Robust Control of Multiplicative Systems: A Convex Relaxation with Performance Guarantees
Hsieh, Chung-Han
Optimization and Control
Systems and Control
Portfolio Management
93E20, 93C57, 90C47, 90C34, 93C28, 91G10
This paper investigates the robust optimal control of sampled-data stochastic systems with multiplicative noise and distributional ambiguity. We consider a class of discrete-time optimal control problems where the controller \emph{jointly} selects a feedback policy and a sampling period to maximize the worst-case expected concave utility of the inter-sample growth factor. Modeling uncertainty via a Wasserstein ambiguity set, we confront the structural obstacle of~``concave-max'' geometry arising from maximizing a concave utility against an adversarial distribution. Unlike standard convex loss minimization, the dual reformulation here requires a minimax interchange within the semi-infinite constraints, where the utility's concavity precludes exact strong duality. To address this, we utilize a general minimax inequality to derive a tractable convex relaxation. Our approach yields a rigorous lower bound that functions as a probabilistic performance guarantee. We establish an explicit, non-asymptotic bound on the resulting duality gap, proving that the approximation error is uniformly controlled by the Lipschitz-smoothness of the stage reward and the diameter of the disturbance support. Furthermore, we introduce necessary and sufficient conditions for \emph{robust viability}, ensuring state positivity invariance across the entire ambiguity set. Finally, we bridge the gap between static optimization and dynamic performance, proving that the optimal value of the relaxation serves as a rigorous deterministic floor for the asymptotic average utility rate almost surely. The framework is illustrated on a log-optimal portfolio control problem, which serves as a canonical instance of multiplicative stochastic control.
title Sampled-Data Wasserstein Distributionally Robust Control of Multiplicative Systems: A Convex Relaxation with Performance Guarantees
topic Optimization and Control
Systems and Control
Portfolio Management
93E20, 93C57, 90C47, 90C34, 93C28, 91G10
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2602.04219