Local smoothing properties of dispersive equations

Abstract

Is it possible for time evolution partial differential equations which are reversible and conservative to smooth locally the initial data? For the linear wave equation, for instance, the answer is no. However, in [10] T. Kato found a local smoothing property of the Korteweg-de Vries equation: the solution of the initial value problem is, locally, one derivative smoother than the initial datum. Kato's proof uses, in a curcial way, the algebraic properties of the symbol for the Korteweg-de Vries equation and the fact that the underlying spatial dimension is one. Actually, judging from the way several integrations by parts and cancellations conspire to reveal a smoothing effect, one would be inclined to believe this was a special property of the K-dV equation. This is not, however, the case. In this paper, we attempt to describe a general local smoothing effect for dispersive equations and systems. The smoothing effect is due to the dispersive nature of the linear part of the equation. All the physically significant dispersive equations and systems known to us have linear parts displaying this local smoothing property. To mention only a few, the K-dV, Benjamin-Ono, intermediate long wave, various Boussinesq, and Schrodinger equations are included. We study, thus, equations and systems of the form