An application of the Fourier method of separation of variables to constructing exactly solvable deformations of partial differential operators

As is known, in mathematical physics there are differential operators with constant coefficients whose fundamental solutions can be constructed explicitly; such operators are said to be exactly solvable. In this paper, the problem of adding lower-order terms with variable coefficients to exactly solvable operators in such a way that the new operators (deformations) admit constructing fundamental solutions in explicit form is posed. This problem is directly related to Hadamard's problem of describing differential operators satisfying the Huygens' principle. On the basis of the Fourier method of separation of variables and the method of gauge-equivalent operators, an effective method for finding exactly solvable deformations depending on one variable is constructed. An application of such deformations to constructing Huygens' differential operators associated with the cone of real symmetric positive-definite matrices is suggested. © 2007 Springer Science+Business Media, Inc.