Commutator identities on associative algebras, the non-Abelian Hirota difference equation and its reductions

Abstract

We show that the non-Abelian Hirota difference equation is directly related to a commutator identity on an associative algebra. Evolutions generated by similarity transformations of elements of this algebra lead to a linear difference equation. We develop a special dressing procedure that results in an integrable non-Abelian Hirota difference equation and propose two regular reduction procedures that lead to a set of known equations, Abelian or non-Abelian, and also to some new integrable equations.