Integrability in Three-Dimensional Gravity: Eigenfunction-Forced KdV Flows

Abstract

We uncover a direct connection between three-dimensional gravity with chiral boundary conditions and a class of forced integrable systems. Starting from the Chern-Simons formulation, we derive consistent boundary conditions on a non-compact spatial slice, leading to boundary dynamics described by the potential modified KdV hierarchy. The dynamics reduce to a forced KdV equation, where the forcing term is determined self-consistently by the eigenfunctions of the associated Schrödinger operator. Using the inverse scattering transform, the reflectionless sector is solved via the Gelfand-Levitan-Marchenko method, while the radiative sector exhibits universal dispersive decay. This framework unifies AdS${}_3$ boundary dynamics with integrable hierarchies and elucidates the roles of solitons and radiation in the dual conformal field theory.

26 page. Corrected typos, added references and minor improvements