Mathematical Foundation of Digital Twins

  • Omar Ghattas

    The University of Texas at Austin, USA
  • Matthias Heinkenschloss

    Rice University, Houston, USA
  • Sebastian Reich

    Universität Potsdam, Germany
  • Claudia Schillings

    Freie Universität Berlin, Germany
Mathematical Foundation of Digital Twins cover
Download PDF

This article is published open access.

Abstract

A digital twin (DT) is a computational model that evolves over time to persistently represent the structure, behavior, and context of a unique physical system or process. DTs are characterized by a dynamic and continuous two-way flow of information between the computational model and the physical system. Data streams from the physical system are assimilated into the computational model to reduce uncertainties and improve predictions of the model, which in turn is used as a basis for controlling the physical system, optimizing data acquisition, and providing decision support. The DT paradigm brings along challenging mathematical and statistical questions which were at the center of the workshop.

Cite this article

Omar Ghattas, Matthias Heinkenschloss, Sebastian Reich, Claudia Schillings, Mathematical Foundation of Digital Twins. Oberwolfach Rep. 23 (2026), no. 2, pp. 1611–1680

DOI 10.4171/OWR/2026/26