Controllability of induced bilinear systems on the sphere

Abstract

In this paper, we investigate the controllability of bilinear control systems of the form $\dot{s} = As + uBs$, where $s \in \mathbb{S}^2$ and $A, B \in gl(3, \mathbb{R})$ are skew-symmetric matrices. First, we prove that the algebraic condition $[A, B] \neq 0$ ensures that the Lie algebra rank condition is satisfied for these systems. Next, we show that this same condition implies the controllability of the system. Finally, in an explicit and descriptive manner, we demonstrate controllability by exhibiting trajectories that transfer a given initial state to another.