Darboux transformation for classical acoustic spectral problem (Q1415168)

Starting with special cases of the Maxwell equations, the authors are lead to consider eigenvalue problems of the form \[ \psi_{yy}= U\psi_y+ \lambda\psi, \quad y\in \mathbb{R}, \tag{1} \] with an associated representation of \(U\): \[ U= v_{yy} v_y^{-1}, \quad \text{some} \quad v(y), \qquad y\in \mathbb{R}. \tag{2} \] They introduce a transformation called ``dressing'', which amounts to pass from a triple \(\psi, v, U\), subject to (1), (2), to a new triple \(\psi^1, v^1, U^1\) expressed in terms of \(\psi, v, U\) in an algebraic way, which satisfies again (1), (2), i.e., with \(\psi, v, U\) replaced by \(\psi^1, v^1, U^1\). This dressing transformation is related to the well-known Darboux transformation. This procedure is then interated, giving rise to ``dressing chains'': \[ \psi^j, v^j, U^j\to \psi^{j+1}, v^{j+1}, U^{j+1}, \tag{3} \] whereby each triple \(\psi^j, v^j, U^j\) satisfies (1), (2). The authors obtain explicit formulas for the iterates \(\psi^j, v^j, U^j\). Thus, if one starts with a given solution, \(\psi= \psi^1\), \(v=v^1\), \(U= U^1\) of (1), (2), the iteration (3) generates new solutions of (1), (2). By starting with special initial triples \(\psi^j, v^j, U^j\), the authors generate a series of new solutions \(\psi^j, v^j, U^j\) of (1), (2), some of which are known in the literature, some of which are new. The arguments are purely formal, there are no function spaces, estimates, theorems or lemmas.