By means of a series of examples (Korteweg-de Vries equation, non-
linear stochastic heat equations and Navier-Stokes equation) we will show how it is possible to apply rough path ideas in the study of the Cauchy problem for PDEs with and without stochastic terms.
We study a class of Markovian optimal stochastic control problems in which the controlled process $Z^\nu$ is constrained to satisfy an a.s.~constraint $Z^\nu(T)\in G\subset \R^{d+1}$ $\Pas$ at some final time $T>0$. When the set is of the form $G:=\{(x,y)\in \R^d\x \R~:~g(x,y)\ge 0\}$, with $g$ non-decreasing in $y$, we provide a Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman characterization of the associated value function. It gives rise to a state constraint problem where the constraint can be expressed in terms of an auxiliary value function $w$ which characterizes the set $D:=\{(t,Z^\nu(t))\in [0,T]\x\R^{d+1}~:~Z^\nu(T)\in G\;a.s.$ for some $ \nu\}$. Contrary to standard state constraint problems, the domain $D$ is not given a-priori and we do not need to impose conditions on its boundary. It is naturally incorporated in the auxiliary value function $w$ which is itself a viscosity solution of a non-linear parabolic PDE. Applying ideas recently developed in Bouchard, Elie and Touzi (2008), our general result also allows to consider optimal control problems with moment constraints of the form $\Esp{g(Z^\nu(T))}\ge 0$ or $\Pro{g(Z^\nu(T))\ge 0}\ge p$.
Euler equations for incompressible fludis describe the evolution of the divergence-free velocity of a non-viscous fluid (when viscosity is present, we have the well-known Navier-Stokes equations). V. Arnold discovered that they correspond to geodesic equations in the space of volume-preserving diffeomorphisms but several exemples show that it is not always possible to solve the corresponding variational problems inducing minimal energy displacements. A solvable relaxed version, in a non-deterministic setting (measures on the path space, with possible splitting of the particles), has been introduced by Y. Brenier who intensively studied the problem. Together with M. Bernot and A. Figalli we founded new solutions and characterization results. In the talk I'll present the most interesting features of the problem and of its solutions.