Spectral equivalences and symmetry breaking in integrable SUq(N) spin chains with boundaries

We consider the SUq(N) invariant spin chain with diagonal and non-diagonal integrable boundary terms. The algebraic study of spin chains with different types of boundary terms is used to motivate a set of spectral equivalences between integrable chains with purely diagonal boundary terms and ones with an arbitrary non-diagonal term at one end. For each choice of diagonal boundary terms there is an isospectral one-boundary problem and vice-versa. The quantum group SUq(N) symmetry is broken by the presence of a nondiagonal boundary term however one can use the spectral equivalence with the diagonal chain to easily understand the residual symmetries of the system. [email protected]