A direct algorithm of one-dimensional optimal system for the group invariant solutions

A direct and systematic algorithm is proposed to find one-dimensional optimal system for the group invariant solutions, which is attributed to the classification of its corresponding one-dimensional Lie algebra. Since the method is based on different values of all the invariants, the process itself can both guarantee the comprehensiveness and demonstrate the inequivalence of the optimal system, with no further proof. To leave the algorithm clear, we illustrate each stage with a couple of well-known examples: the Korteweg-de Vries equation and the heat equation. Finally, we apply our method to the Novikov equation and use the found optimal system to investigate the corresponding invariant solutions. (C) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC.