Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2005/ii/paper-2/31c/c/solution

The given Riccati ansatz is . Differentiating it and substituting for shows
It therefore selects in the preceding scaled Painleve equation. Write . The quadratic terms cancel in the ansatz, leaving
Thus every nonzero solution of the indicated Airy equation gives the local mKdV solution
on intervals where . For example , with constants not both zero, has the required equation. This branch is generally complex and meromorphic; the printed ansatz itself includes . A real on a real interval would require simultaneously and , which is impossible on an interval. Hence this particular ansatz does not furnish a nontrivial real-valued mKdV profile.

New to topics? Read the docs here!