Implementation of the inverse scattering transform method for the nonlinear Schrödinger equation

Abstract: We study the initial-value problem for the nonlinear Schr\"odinger equation. Application of the inverse scattering transform method involves solving direct and inverse scattering problems for the Zakharov-Shabat system with complex potentials. We solve these problems by using new series representations for the Jost solutions of the Zakharov-Shabat system. The representations have the form of power series with respect to a transformed spectral parameter. In terms of the representations, solution of the direct scattering problem reduces to computing the series coefficients following a simple recurrent integration procedure, computation of the scattering coefficients by multiplying corresponding pairs of polynomials (partial sums of the series representations) and locating zeros of a polynomial inside the unit disk. Solution of the inverse scattering problem reduces to the solution of a system of linear algebraic equations for the power series coefficients, while the potential is recovered from the first coefficients. The system is obtained directly from the scattering relations. Thus, unlike other existing techniques, the method does not involve solving the Gelfand-Levitan-Marchenko equation or the matrix Riemann-Hilbert problem. The overall approach leads to a simple and efficient algorithm for the numerical solution of the initial-value problem for the nonlinear Schr\"odinger equation, which is illustrated by numerical examples.