On the permutability of Bäcklund transformations (Q1064476)

The paper deals with the hierarchy of AKNS equations: \(u_ t=JL^nu\), \(n=1,2,\ldots\), where \[ u=\left( \begin{matrix} q\\ r\end{matrix} \right),\quad J=\left[ \begin{matrix} 1\\ 0\end{matrix} \begin{matrix} 0\\ -1\end{matrix} \right],\quad L=\left[ \begin{matrix} -D+2qIr\\ 2rIr\end{matrix} \begin{matrix} -2qIq\\ D- 2rIq\end{matrix} \right],\quad D=d/dx,\quad I=\int^{x}_{-\infty}\,dx'. \] It is shown that the infinitesimal Bäcklund transformation \(B_{\eta +\varepsilon} B_{\eta}^{-1} u\) admits the expansion \[ B_{\eta +\varepsilon} B_{\eta}^{-1}=u+\varepsilon \sum^{\infty}_{n=0}\beta_ n(JL^{n+1}u)\eta^n, \quad \beta_ n=1+(-1)^ n2^{-n-1}, \] where \(\bar u=B_{\eta}u:\) \[ 2(q-\bar q)+(\Delta (\bar q-2q)+(2q_x+\bar q_x))\eta =0, \] \[ 2(r-\bar r)+(\Delta (2\bar r-r)+(r_ x+2\bar r_x))\eta =0 \] is the Bäcklund transformation of AKNS equations depending on the parameter \(\eta\), \(\Delta =\int^x_{-\infty}(qr- \bar q\bar r)\,dx'\), found in the author's paper [Lett. Math. Phys. 6, 63--71 (1982; Zbl 0486.35006)].