Solitons: differential equations, symmetries, and infinite dimensional algebras

This book investigates the high degree of symmetry that lies hidden in integrable systems. To that end, differential equations arising from classical mechanics, such as the KdV equation and the KP equations, are used here by the authors to introduce the notion of an infinite dimensional transformation group acting on spaces of integrable systems. Chapters discuss the work of M. Sato on the algebraic structure of completely integrable systems, together with developments of these ideas in the work of M. Kashiwara. The text should be accessible to anyone with a knowledge of differential and integral calculus and elementary complex analysis, and it will be a valuable resource to both novice and expert alike.