  The nonlinear Fourier transform (NFT), a powerful tool in soliton theory and
exactly solvable models, is a method for solving integrable partial
differential equations governing wave propagation in certain nonlinear media.
The NFT decorrelates signal degrees-of-freedom in such models, in much the same
way that the Fourier transform does for linear systems. In this three-part
series of papers, this observation is exploited for data transmission over
integrable channels such as optical fibers, where pulse propagation is governed
by the nonlinear Schr\"odinger equation. In this transmission scheme, which can
be viewed as a nonlinear analogue of orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing
commonly used in linear channels, information is encoded in the nonlinear
frequencies and their spectral amplitudes. Unlike most other fiber-optic
transmission schemes, this technique deals with both dispersion and
nonlinearity directly and unconditionally without the need for dispersion or
nonlinearity compensation methods. This first paper explains the mathematical
tools that underlie the method.
