Soliton equations and pseudospherical surfaces

All the soliton equations in 1 + 1 dimensions that can be solved by the AKNS 2 × 2 inverse scattering method (for example, the sine-Gordon, KdV or modified KdV equations) are shown to describe pseudospherical surfaces, i.e., surfaces of constant negative Gaussian curvature. This result provides a unified picture of all these soliton equations. Geometrical interpretations of characteristic properties like infinite numbers of conservation laws and Bäcklund transformations and of the soliton solutions themselves are presented. The important role of scale transformations as generating one parameter families of pseudospherical surfaces is pointed out.