Integrable Systems and Isomonodromy Deformations

Abstract

We analyze in detail three classes of isomondromy deformation problems associated with integrable systems. The first two are related to the scaling invariance of the $n\times n$ AKNS hierarchies and the Gel'fand-Dikii hierarchies. The third arises in string theory as the representation of the Heisenberg group by $[(L^{k/n})_+,L]=I$ where $L$ is an $n^{th}$ order scalar differential operator. The monodromy data is constructed in each case; the inverse monodromy problem is solved as a Riemann-Hilbert problem; and a simple proof of the Painlevé property is given for the general case