Higher spin Lifshitz theories and the Korteweg-de Vries hierarchy

Abstract

In this paper three dimensional higher spin theories in the Chern-Simons formulation with gauge algebra $sl(N,R)$ are investigated which have Lifshitz symmetry with scaling exponent $z$. We show that an explicit map exists for all $z$ and $N$ relating the Lifshitz Chern-Simons theory to the $(n,m)$ element of the KdV hierarchy. Furthermore we show that the map and hence the conserved charges are independent of $z$. We derive these result from the Drinfeld-Sokolov formalism of integrable systems.