Symmetric discrete AKP and BKP equations

Abstract

We show that when KP (Kadomtsev–Petviashvili) τ functions allow special symmetries, the discrete BKP equation can be expressed as a linear combination of the discrete AKP equation and its reflected symmetric forms. Thus the discrete AKP and BKP equations can share the same τ functions with these symmetries. Such a connection is extended to 4 dimensional (i.e. higher order) discrete AKP and BKP equations in the corresponding discrete hierarchies. Various explicit forms of such τ functions, including Hirota’s form, Gramian, Casoratian and polynomial, are given. Symmetric τ functions of Cauchy matrix form that are composed of Weierstrass σ functions are investigated. As a result we obtain a discrete BKP equation with elliptic coefficients.