Soliton dynamics for a non-Hamiltonian perturbation of mKdV

Abstract

We study the dynamics of soliton solutions to the perturbed mKdV equation $\partial_t u = \partial_x(-\partial_x^2 u -2u^3) + \epsilon V u$, where $V\in \mathcal{C}^1_b(\mathbb{R})$, $0<\epsilon\ll 1$. This type of perturbation is non-Hamiltonian. Nevertheless, via symplectic considerations, we show that solutions remain $O(\epsilon \la t\ra^{1/2})$ close to a soliton on an $O(\epsilon^{-1})$ time scale. Furthermore, we show that the soliton parameters can be chosen to evolve according to specific exact ODEs on the shorter, but still dynamically relevant, time scale $O(\epsilon^{-1/2})$. Over this time scale, the perturbation can impart an O(1) influence on the soliton position.