# Yet another approach to the Algebraic Riccati Inequality

## TL;DR

This paper provides a comprehensive rank-based characterization of the solution set of the algebraic Riccati inequality (ARI), exploring boundedness, structure, and controllability implications for both controllable and uncontrollable systems.

## Contribution

It introduces a new rank characterization of ARI solutions, analyzes boundedness properties, and explores the structure of extremal solutions without sign controllability assumptions.

## Key findings

- Controllability iff the ARI solution set is bounded.
- Established Willems' bounds for controllable systems.
- Provided a rank parametrization for ARI solutions.

## Abstract

We give a rank characterization of the solution set of algebraic Riccati inequality (ARI) for both controllable and uncontrollable systems. Assuming an existence of a solution of the corresponding algebraic Riccati equation (ARE), we characterize the boundedness/unboundedness properties of solutions of ARI for controllable/uncontrollable systems without any assumption on sign controllability. As a consequence of our observations, we obtain Willems' result $K_{min}\leq K\leq K_{max}$ for an ARI in the case of controllable systems and explore some structure on the extremal solutions. We also consider the curious case of uncontrollable purely imaginary eigenvalues and the behavior of the solution set of ARI. In particular, we show that a system is controllable if and only if the set of solutions of an ARI is bounded. In addition, we study the effect of the position of eigenvalues of the system matrix in the complex plane on the behavior of the solution set of ARIs. Furthermore, we obtain a rank parametrization for solutions of ARI for controllable systems.