Isometric immersions of space forms and soliton theory (Q1923233)

The article provides a general scheme for the explicit construction of finite type immersions of space forms into space forms by means of a hierarchy of commuting finite-dimensional systems of ordinary differential equations involving an arbitrary (spectral) parameter which affects the curvature of the result. Like in the classical Cartan-Kähler approach, the solution depends on the choice of certain functions of one independent variable. More precisely, the Gauss-Codazzi and Ricci equations for immersions with flat normal bundle are rewritten as a zero curvature condition with a parameter \(\lambda\). This condition is expressed by loop algebra-valued 1-forms which gives the link to the theory of integrable systems (AKS or \(R\)-matrix theory) on Lie algebras. In principle, the integration by theta functions on the Jacobian of an algebraic curve is possible, and can therefore be regarded as a higher-dimensional soliton equation.