B3.14

Optimization and Control
Part II, 2001

A file of XMbX \mathrm{Mb} is to be transmitted over a communications link. At each time tt the sender can choose a transmission rate, u(t)u(t), within the range [0,1][0,1] Mb per second. The charge for transmitting at rate u(t)u(t) at time tt is u(t)p(t)u(t) p(t). The function pp is fully known at time 0. If it takes a total time TT to transmit the file then there is a delay cost of γT2\gamma T^{2}, γ>0\gamma>0. Thus uu and TT are to be chosen to minimize

0Tu(t)p(t)dt+γT2\int_{0}^{T} u(t) p(t) d t+\gamma T^{2}

where u(t)[0,1],dx(t)/dt=u(t),x(0)=Xu(t) \in[0,1], d x(t) / d t=-u(t), x(0)=X and x(T)=0x(T)=0. Quoting and applying appropriate results of Pontryagin's maximum principle show that a property of the optimal policy is that there exists pp^{*} such that u(t)=1u(t)=1 if p(t)<pp(t)<p^{*} and u(t)=0u(t)=0 if p(t)>pp(t)>p^{*}.

Show that the optimal pp^{*} and TT are related by p=p(T)+2γTp^{*}=p(T)+2 \gamma T.

Suppose p(t)=t+1/tp(t)=t+1 / t and X=1X=1. For what value of γ\gamma is it optimal to transmit at a constant rate 1 between times 1/21 / 2 and 3/23 / 2 ?