Continuous and discontinuous piecewise linear solutions of the linearly forced inviscid Burgers equation

We study a class of piecewise linear solutions to the inviscid Burgers equation driven by a linear forcing term. Inspired by the analogy with peakons, we think of these solutions as being made up of solitons situated at the breakpoints. We derive and solve ODEs governing the soliton dynamics, first for continuous solutions, and then for more general shock wave solutions with discontinuities. We show that triple collisions of solitons cannot take place for continuous solutions, but give an example of a triple collision in the presence of a shock.Comment: To appear in Journal of Nonlinear Mathematical Physics (proceedings of NEEDS 2007). 16 pages, 3 figures, LaTeX + AMS packages + pstrick

The inverse spectral problem for the discrete cubic string

Given a measure $m$ on the real line or a finite interval, the "cubic string" is the third order ODE $-\phi'''=zm\phi$ where $z$ is a spectral parameter. If equipped with Dirichlet-like boundary conditions this is a nonselfadjoint boundary value problem which has recently been shown to have a connection to the Degasperis-Procesi nonlinear water wave equation. In this paper we study the spectral and inverse spectral problem for the case of Neumann-like boundary conditions which appear in a high-frequency limit of the Degasperis--Procesi equation. We solve the spectral and inverse spectral problem for the case of $m$ being a finite positive discrete measure. In particular, explicit determinantal formulas for the measure $m$ are given. These formulas generalize Stieltjes' formulas used by Krein in his study of the corresponding second order ODE $-\phi''=zm\phi$.Comment: 24 pages. LaTeX + iopart, xypic, amsthm. To appear in Inverse Problems (http://www.iop.org/EJ/journal/IP

Multi loop soliton solutions and their interactions in the Degasperis-Procesi equation

In this article, we construct loop soliton solutions and mixed soliton - loop soliton solution for the Degasperis-Procesi equation. To explore these solutions we adopt the procedure given by Matsuno. By appropriately modifying the $\tau$-function given in the above paper we derive these solutions. We present the explicit form of one and two loop soliton solutions and mixed soliton - loop soliton solutions and investigate the interaction between (i) two loop soliton solutions in different parametric regimes and (ii) a loop soliton with a conventional soliton in detail.Comment: Published in Physica Scripta (2012

The Cauchy two-matrix model

We introduce a new class of two(multi)-matrix models of positive Hermitean matrices coupled in a chain; the coupling is related to the Cauchy kernel and differs from the exponential coupling more commonly used in similar models. The correlation functions are expressed entirely in terms of certain biorthogonal polynomials and solutions of appropriate Riemann-Hilbert problems, thus paving the way to a steepest descent analysis and universality results. The interpretation of the formal expansion of the partition function in terms of multicolored ribbon-graphs is provided and a connection to the O(1) model. A steepest descent analysis of the partition function reveals that the model is related to a trigonal curve (three-sheeted covering of the plane) much in the same way as the Hermitean matrix model is related to a hyperelliptic curve.Comment: 34 pages, 2 figures. V2: changes only to metadat

Inverse problems associated with integrable equations of Camassa-Holm type; explicit formulas on the real axis, I

The inverse problem which arises in the Camassa--Holm equation is revisited for the class of discrete densities. The method of solution relies on the use of orthogonal polynomials. The explicit formulas are obtained directly from the analysis on the real axis without any additional transformation to a "string" type boundary value problem known from prior works

Testing the Hubble Law with the IRAS 1.2 Jy Redshift Survey

We test and reject the claim of Segal et al. (1993) that the correlation of redshifts and flux densities in a complete sample of IRAS galaxies favors a quadratic redshift-distance relation over the linear Hubble law. This is done, in effect, by treating the entire galaxy luminosity function as derived from the 60 micron 1.2 Jy IRAS redshift survey of Fisher et al. (1995) as a distance indicator; equivalently, we compare the flux density distribution of galaxies as a function of redshift with predictions under different redshift-distance cosmologies, under the assumption of a universal luminosity function. This method does not assume a uniform distribution of galaxies in space. We find that this test has rather weak discriminatory power, as argued by Petrosian (1993), and the differences between models are not as stark as one might expect a priori. Even so, we find that the Hubble law is indeed more strongly supported by the analysis than is the quadratic redshift-distance relation. We identify a bias in the the Segal et al. determination of the luminosity function, which could lead one to mistakenly favor the quadratic redshift-distance law. We also present several complementary analyses of the density field of the sample; the galaxy density field is found to be close to homogeneous on large scales if the Hubble law is assumed, while this is not the case with the quadratic redshift-distance relation.Comment: 27 pages Latex (w/figures), ApJ, in press. Uses AAS macros, postscript also available at http://www.astro.princeton.edu/~library/preprints/pop682.ps.g

Peakons arising as particle paths beneath small-amplitude water waves

We present a new kind of particle path in constant vorticity water of finite depth, within the framework of small-amplitude waves

On the tau-functions of the Degasperis-Procesi equation

The DP equation is investigated from the point of view of determinant-pfaffian identities. The reciprocal link between the Degasperis-Procesi (DP) equation and the pseudo 3-reduction of the $C_{\infty}$ two-dimensional Toda system is used to construct the N-soliton solution of the DP equation. The N-soliton solution of the DP equation is presented in the form of pfaffian through a hodograph (reciprocal) transformation. The bilinear equations, the identities between determinants and pfaffians, and the $\tau$-functions of the DP equation are obtained from the pseudo 3-reduction of the $C_{\infty}$ two-dimensional Toda system.Comment: 27 pages, 4 figures, Journal of Physics A: Mathematical and Theoretical, to be publishe

The Degasperis-Procesi equation with self-consistent sources

The Degasperis-Procesi equation with self-consistent sources(DPESCS) is derived. The Lax representation and the conservation laws for DPESCS are constructed. The peakon solution of DPESCS is obtained.Comment: 15 page