Advances in Next Generation Cyber-Physical Systems: Cybersecurity and Quantum Computing

Two topics of my doctoral thesis will be discussed in this work. The first topic develops cyber-secure control strategies by taking advantage of process physics based on the conservation of mass and energy. Theoretical guarantees of safety and stability are made while accounting for practical challenges such as handling process disturbances, noise and changing process dynamics. The processes considered are characterized by nonlinear dynamics, which represent the majority of real-world processes, using a control algorithm based on an optimization-based model predictive control algorithm that is modified to also detect for cyberattacks. Multiple detection strategies, such as comparing state predictions/estimates to measurements or regularly probing for cyberattacks on control elements. The comparison of state predictions/estimates to measurements has seen limited success in terms of the duration for which theoretical guarantees hold, especially when changing process dynamics are considered. The detection strategy that probes for cyberattacks has seen significant use in making long-term guarantees of stability and feasibility until a cyberattack is detected.

The cyberattack detection strategies are computationally expensive and motivate the consideration of quantum computing to implement control algorithms. Two major obstacles encountered with quantum computations include non-determinism introduced by quantum noise inherent to quantum devices and the determination of a control algorithm that outperforms its classical counterparts. The first step to address these challenges was a detailed analysis of simple control algorithms to study the impacts of quantum noise on stabilizing control strategies in various scenarios. This was achieved using a quantum simulator provided by IBM’s quantum experience, Qiskit. The long-term goal of exploring this topic is to build a foundation to identify scenarios where quantum computing can be taken advantage of for applications in the field of process engineering and control.