Cybernetical physics

Cybernetical physics is a scientific area on the border of cybernetics and physics which studies physical systems with cybernetical methods. Cybernetical methods are understood as methods developed within control theory, information theory, systems theory and related areas: control design, estimation, identification, optimization, pattern recognition, signal processing, image processing, etc. Physical systems are also understood in a broad sense; they may be either lifeless, living nature or of artificial (engineering) origin, and must have reasonably understood dynamics and models suitable for posing cybernetical problems. Research objectives in cybernetical physics are frequently formulated as analyses of a class of possible system state changes under external (controlling) actions of a certain class. An auxiliary goal is designing the controlling actions required to achieve a prespecified property change. Among typical control action classes are functions which are constant in time (bifurcation analysis, optimization), functions which depend only on time (vibration mechanics, spectroscopic studies, program control), and functions whose value depends on measurement made at the same time or on previous instances. The last class is of special interest since these functions correspond to system analysis by means of external feedback (feedback control).

Until recently no creative interaction of physics and control theory (cybernetics) had been seen and no control theory methods were directly used for discovering new physical effects and phenomena. The situation dramatically changed in the 1990s when two new areas emerged: control of chaos and quantum control.

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