On the classification of integrable differential/difference equations in three dimensions

Integrable systems arise in nonlinear processes and, both in their classical and quantum version, have many applications in various fields of mathematics and physics, which makes them a very active research area. In this thesis, the problem of integrability of multidimensional equations, especially in three dimensions (3D), is explored. We investigate systems of differential, differential-difference and discrete equations, which are studied via a novel approach that was developed over the last few years. This approach, is essentially a perturbation technique based on the so called method of dispersive deformations of hydrodynamic reductions . This method is used to classify a variety of differential equations, including soliton equations and scalar higher-order quasilinear PDEs. As part of this research, the method is extended to differential-difference equations and consequently to purely discrete equations. The passage to discrete equations is important, since, in the case of multidimensional systems, there exist very few integrability criteria. Complete lists of various classes of integrable equations in three dimensions are provided, as well as partial results related to the theory of dispersive shock waves. A new definition of integrability, based on hydrodynamic reductions, is used throughout, which is a natural analogue of the generalized hodograph transform in higher dimensions. The definition is also justified by the fact that Lax pairs the most well-known integrability criteria are given for all classification results obtained

Reduction to modified KdV and its KP-like generalization via phase modulation

The main observation of this paper is that the modified Korteweg–de Vries equation has its natural origin in phase modulation of a basic state such as a periodic travelling wave, or more generally, a family of relative equilibria. Extension to 2  +  1 suggests that a modified Kadomtsev–Petviashvili (or a Konopelchenko–Dubrovsky) equation should emerge, but our result shows that there is an additional term which has gone heretofore unnoticed. Thus, through the novel application of phase modulation a new equation appears as the 2  +  1 extension to a previously known one. To demonstrate the theory it is applied to the cubic-quintic nonlinear Schrödinger (CQNLS) equation, showing that there are relevant parameter values where a modified KP equation bifurcates from periodic travelling wave solutions of the 2  +  1 CQNLS equation

Applications of symmetries and conservation laws to the study of nonlinear elasticity equations

Mooney-Rivlin hyperelasticity equations are nonlinear coupled partial differential equations (PDEs) that are used to model various elastic materials. These models have been extended to account for fiber reinforced solids with applications in modeling biological materials. As such, it is important to obtain solutions to these physical systems. One approach is to study the admitted Lie symmetries of the PDE system, which allows one to seek invariant solutions by the invariant form method. Furthermore, knowledge of conservation laws for a PDE provides insight into conserved physical quantities, and can be used in the development of stable numerical methods. The current Thesis is dedicated to presenting the methodology of Lie symmetry and conservation law analysis, as well as applying it to fiber reinforced Mooney-Rivlin models. In particular, an outline of Lie symmetry and conservation law analysis is provided, and the partial differential equations describing the dynamics of a hyperelastic solid are presented. A detailed example of Lie symmetry and conservation law analysis is done for the PDE system describing plane strain in a Mooney-Rivlin solid. Lastly, Lie symmetries and conservation laws are studied in one and two dimensional models of fiber reinforced Mooney-Rivlin materials