A class of 1-D gas flows soluble by the inverse scattering transform (Q1088254)

We first show that the Euler equation of 1-dimensional adiabatic gas dynamics with arbitrary equation of state present a symmetry S of order three, i.e. such that \(S^ 3=1\). For a particular class of equations of state, which may be viewed as representing the ''geometrical center'' of the symmetry, a higher symmetry exists: the SL(3) symmetry, in agreement with the results of ref. 2. For these equations of state we derive Riemann invariants, and are thus able to reduce the system of the Euler's equations to a mere second-order equation versus characteristic coordinates \(\alpha\), \(\beta\). That equation turns out to be soluble by an inverse scattering method with a third-order scattering operator, as shown in ref. 6. We thus provide a first instance of soliton propagation on a nondissipative gaseous background. It must be noted however that these are solitons in a mathematical sense only, as the space-time in which they propagate uniformly does not coincide with ordinary space- time.