Existence and uniqueness of solutions for a quasilinear KdV equation with degenerate dispersion

Abstract: We consider a quasilinear KdV equation that admits compactly supported traveling wave solutions (compactons). This model is one of the most straightforward instances of degenerate dispersion, a phenomenon that appears in a variety of physical settings as diverse as sedimentation, magma dynamics and shallow water waves. We prove the existence and uniqueness of solutions with sufficiently smooth, spatially localized initial data.