Stabilizability of two-dimensional linear systems via switched output feedback

The problem of stabilizing a second-order SISO LTI system of the form , y=Cx with feedback of the form u(x)=v(x)Cx is considered, where v(x) is real-valued and has domain which is all of . It is shown that, when stabilization is possible, v(x) can be chosen to take on no more than two values throughout the entire state-space (i.e., v(x){k₁,k₂} for all x and for some k₁,k₂), and an algorithm for finding a specific choice of v(x) is presented. It is also shown that the classical root locus of the corresponding transfer function C(sI-A)^-1B has a strong connection to this stabilization problem, and its utility is demonstrated through examples.