Uniqueness of solutions of the KdV-hierarchy via Dubrovin-type flows

Abstract

We consider the Cauchy problem for the KdV hierarchy – a family of integrable PDEs with a Lax pair representation involving one-dimensional Schrödinger operators – under a local in time boundedness assumption on the solution. For reflectionless initial data, we prove that the solution stays reflectionless. For almost periodic initial data with absolutely continuous spectrum, we prove that under Craig-type conditions on the spectrum, Dirichlet data evolve according to a Lipschitz Dubrovin-type flow, so the solution is uniquely recovered by a trace formula. This applies to algebro-geometric (finite gap) solutions; more notably, we prove that it applies to small quasiperiodic initial data with analytic sampling functions and Diophantine frequency. This also gives a uniqueness result for the Cauchy problem on the line for periodic initial data, even in the absence of Craig-type conditions.