On Third-Order Evolution Systems Describing Pseudo-Spherical or Spherical Surfaces

Abstract

We consider a class of third-order evolution equations of the form \begin{equation*} \left\{ \begin{array}{l} \displaystyle u_{t}=F\left(x,t,u,u_x,u_{xx},u_{xxx},v,v_x,v_{xx},v_{xxx}\right), \displaystyle v_{t}=G\left(x,t,u,u_x,u_{xx},u_{xxx},v,v_x,v_{xx},v_{xxx}\right), \end{array} \right. \end{equation*} describing pseudos-pherical (\textbf{pss}) or spherical surfaces (\textbf{ss}), meaning that, their generic solutions $(u(x,t),v(x,t))$ provide metrics, with coordinates $(x,t)$, on open subsets of the plane, with constant curvature $K=-1$ or $K=1$. These systems can be described as the integrability conditions of $\mathfrak{g}$-valued linear problems, with $\mathfrak{g}=\mathfrak{sl}(2,\mathbb{R})$ or $\mathfrak{g}=\mathfrak{su}(2)$, when $K=-1$, $K=1$, respectively. We obtain characterization and also classification results. Applications of these results provide new examples and new families of such systems, which also contain systems of coupled KdV and mKdV-type equations and nonlinear Schrödinger equations. Additionally, this theory is applied to derive a Bäcklund transformation for the coupled KdV system.