Exact computation of traces and H/sup 2/ norms for a class of infinite-dimensional problems

We derive a formula for the trace of a class of differential operators defined by forced two point boundary value problems. The formula involves finite-dimensional computations with matrices whose dimension is no larger than the order of the differential operator. Thus, we achieve an exact reduction of an infinite-dimensional problem to a finite-dimensional one. We relate this trace calculation to computation of the H/sup 2/ norm for certain infinitedimensional systems. An example from fluid dynamics is included to illustrate the method.