Spectral theory for non-self-adjoint Dirac operators with periodic potentials and inverse scattering transform for the focusing nonlinear Schrödinger equation with periodic boundary conditions

We formulate the inverse spectral theory for a non-self-adjoint one-dimensional Dirac operator associated periodic potentials via a Riemann–Hilbert problem approach. We use the resulting formalism to solve the initial value problem for the focusing nonlinear Schrödinger equation. We establish a uniqueness theorem for the solutions of the Riemann–Hilbert problem, which provides a new method for obtaining the potential from the spectral data. The formalism applies for both finite- and infinite-genus potentials. As in the defocusing case, the formalism shows that only a single set of Dirichlet eigenvalues is needed in order to uniquely reconstruct the potential of the Dirac operator and the corresponding solution of the focusing NLS equation.