Efficient method to calculate the eigenvalues of the Zakharov-Shabat system

A numerical method is proposed to calculate the eigenvalues of the Zakharov-Shabat system based on Chebyshev polynomials. A mapping in the form of tanh(ax) is constructed according to the asymptotic of the potential function for the Zakharov-Shabat eigenvalue problem. The mapping can distribute Chebyshev nodes very well considering the gradient for the potential function. Using Chebyshev polynomials, tanh(ax) mapping, and Chebyshev nodes, the Zakharov-Shabat eigenvalue problem is transformed into a matrix eigenvalue problem. This method has good convergence for the Satsuma-Yajima potential and the convergence rate is faster than the Fourier collocation method. This method is not only suitable for simple potential functions but also converges quickly for a complex Y-shape potential. It can also be further extended to other linear eigenvalue problems.