On the singularities of the discrete Korteweg-deVries equation

TL;DR

This paper analyzes the complex singularity structures of the discrete Korteweg-deVries equation, identifying four types of singularities and their interactions, which are crucial for understanding its integrability.

Contribution

It classifies and describes four distinct singularity types in d-KdV, including a novel 'taishi' singularity, and explores their interactions and implications for integrability.

Findings

Four singularity types identified, including a new 'taishi' type.

Singularity structures differ significantly between integrable and nonintegrable cases.

Interactions among singularities reveal the rich structure of d-KdV.

Abstract

We study the structure of singularities in the discrete Korteweg-deVries (d-KdV) equation. Four different types of singularities are identified. The first type corresponds to localised, `confined', singularities, the confinement constraints for which provide the integrability conditions for generalisations of d-KdV. Two other types of singularities are of infinite extent and consist of oblique lines of infinities, possibly alternating with lines of zeros. The fourth type of singularity corresponds to horizontal strips where the product of the values on vertically adjacent points is equal to 1. (A vertical version of this singularity with product equal to $-1$ on horizontally adjacent sites also exists). Due to its orientation this singularity can, in fact, interact with the other types. This leads to an extremely rich structure for the singularities of d-KdV, which is studied in detail in this paper. Given the important role played by the fourth type of singularity we decided to give it a special name: taishi (the origin of which is explained in the text). The taishi do not exist for nonintegrable extensions of d-KdV, which explains the relative paucity of singularity structures in the nonintegrable case: the second and third type of singularities that correspond to oblique lines still exist and the localised singularities of the integrable case now become unconfined, leading to semi-infinite lines of infinities alternating with zeros.