Nonlinear continuous integrable Hamiltonian couplings

Based on a kind of special non-semisimple Lie algebras, a scheme is presented for constructing nonlinear continuous integrable couplings. Variational identities over the corresponding loop algebras are used to furnish Hamiltonian structures for the resulting continuous integrable couplings. The application of the scheme is illustrated by an example of nonlinear continuous integrable Hamiltonian couplings of the AKNS hierarchy of soliton equations.