# Rotating Detonation Engine

In rotating detonation engines, the detonation wave propagates fast while the operating mode evolves slowly, and that gap makes direct deep reinforcement learning control hard. Reformulating the control problem in a moving reference frame that follows the detonation-wave pattern makes the wave structure appear quasi-steady to the agent and separates the fast and slow processes. In a one-dimensional reduced-order model, controllers trained in the moving frame learn more reliably than those trained in a stationary frame, remain effective over a broader range of actuation periods, and induce rapid transitions between mode-locked states.

In rotating detonation engines, the detonation wave propagates fast while the operating mode evolves slowly, and that gap makes direct deep reinforcement learning control hard. Reformulating the control problem in a moving reference frame that follows the detonation-wave pattern makes the wave structure appear quasi-steady to the agent and separates the fast and slow processes. In a one-dimensional reduced-order model, controllers trained in the moving frame learn more reliably than those trained in a stationary frame, remain effective over a broader range of actuation periods, and induce rapid transitions between mode-locked states.