We consider the (characteristic and non-characteristic) Cauchy problem for a system of constant coefficients partial differential equations with initial data on an affine subspace of arbitrary codimension. We show that evolution is equivalent to the validity of a principle on the complex characteristic variety and we study the relationship of this condition with the one introduced by Hörmander in the case of scalar operators and initial data on a hypersurface.

We consider the solution operator $S{ℱ}_{\mu ,(p,q)}\to L^2{\left(\mu \right)}_{(p,q)}$ to the $\overline{\partial }$-operator restricted to forms with coefficients in ${ℱ}_{\mu }=\left\{ff\text{is}\text{entire}\text{and}{\int }_{{ℂ}^n}{\left|f\left(z\right)\right|}^2\mathrm{d}\mu \left(z\right)<\infty \right\}$. Here ${ℱ}_{\mu ,(p,q)}$ denotes $(p,q)$-forms with coefficients in ${ℱ}_{\mu }$, $L^2\left(\mu \right)$ is the corresponding $L^2$-space and $\mu$ is a suitable rotation-invariant absolutely continuous finite measure. We will develop a general solution formula $S$ to $\overline{\partial }$. This solution operator will have the property $Sv\perp {ℱ}_{(p,q)}\forall v\in {ℱ}_{(p,q+1)}$. As an application of the solution formula we will be able to characterize compactness of the solution operator in terms of compactness of commutators...