State Nullification by Output Feedback by

Published papers format The possibility of state nullification by output feedback is analyzed, that is, the possibility to steer any initial state of a given system to equilibrium within finite time. This problem is considered both from the practical point of view, as a strong form of stabilization and from the theoretical point of view, as a structural property. Conditions for nullification by output feedback, for time-invariant, time-varying and switched linear single-input single-output (SISO) finite dimensional control systems are derived. Two related matters, namely, robustness to disturbances and the affect of sampling are considered. Algorithms for control synthesis are provided and some application examples are elaborated. iii Acknowledgments I would like to express my gratitude to my supervisors, Prof. Zvi Artstein and Prof. Amir Pnueli. Working with these two great men was an honor and