Work

On the invariance of risk-sensitive LQR gain under input randomization

Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: This paper shows that the optimal gain of the risk-sensitive linear quadratic regulator (LQR) problem is invariant under input randomization when the cost penalizes the realized noisy input. This may appear counterintuitive at first glance because certainty equivalence does not hold for risk-sensitive LQR and input randomization inflates the effective process noise. Nonetheless, the gain is preserved because the input noise enters not only the system dynamics but also the cost functional, and its total effect eventually vanishes. Consequently, the optimal gain and the Riccati recursion need not be recomputed, and the increment in the optimal cost can be readily evaluated in closed form. This result facilitates the use of risk-sensitive LQR in applications that employ input randomization for privacy or exploration, such as dynamic watermarking for replay attack detection.
Language: English
Open Access status: green
Award: G506291142
OpenAlex ID: W7207870852
Cites: 1
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Related to: 10