Prolongation algebras and Hamiltonian operators for peakon equations

We consider a family of non-evolutionary partial differential equations, labelled by a single parameter b, all of which admit multi-peakon solutions. For the two special integrable cases, namely the Camassa-Holm and Degasperis-Procesi equations (b = 2 and 3), we explain how their spectral problems have reciprocal links to Lax pairs for negative flows, in the Korteweg-de Vries and Kaup-Kupershmidt hierarchies respectively. An analogous construction is presented in the case of the Sawada-Kotera hierarchy, leading to a new zero-curvature representation for the integrable Vakhnenko equation. We show how the two special peakon equations are isolated via the Wahlquist-Estabrook prolongation algebra method. Using the trivector technique of Olver, we provide a proof of the Jacobi identity for the non-local Hamiltonian structures of the whole peakon family. Within this class of Hamiltonian operators (also labelled by b), we present a uniqueness theorem which picks out the special cases b = 2, 3.