Auto-B(a)cklund Transformation and Exact Solutions to the Generalized Kadomtsev-Petviashvili Equation with Variable Coefficients

By using the extended homogeneous balance method, a new auto-Backlund transformation(BT) to thegeneralized Kadomtsev-Petviashvili equation with variable coefficients (VCGKP) are obtained. And making use of theauto-BT and choosing a special seed solution, we get many families of new exact solutions of the VCGKP equations,which include single soliton-like solutions, multi-soliton-like solutions, and special-soliton-like solutions. Since the KPequation and cylindrical KP equation are all special cases of the VCGKP equation, and the corresponding results ofthese equations are also given respectively.