TITLE: Is the kernel of the product of two commuting differential operators the sum of the kernels?
QUESTION [7 upvotes]: Consider the wave equation in one dimension: 
$$\frac{\partial^2 u}{\partial t^2}-\frac{\partial^2 u}{\partial x^2}=0.$$
The most general solution of this can be written as $F(x-t)+G(x+t)$ for arbitrary functions $F, G$. It is commonly said that this is a consequence of the factorization 
$$\frac{\partial^2}{\partial t^2}-\frac{\partial^2}{\partial x^2}=\left( \frac{\partial }{\partial t}-\frac{\partial}{\partial x}\right)\left( \frac{\partial }{\partial t}+\frac{\partial}{\partial x}\right).$$

Is this a general fact? 

More precisely, assume that the differential operator $D$ factors into the product of two (commuting) operators $A, B$, that is
$$D=AB=BA.$$
Is it true that
$$
\{u\in C^{n}\ :\ Du=0\}=\{F+G\ :\ AF=0\ \text{and}\ BG=0\}?$$
Here $n$ is the order of $D$ (which is $2$ for $D=\partial^2_t-\partial^2_x$).

REPLY [5 votes]: If I understand the question correctly, the answer is no, because it is
not even true for the square of an operator: solutions to 
$\frac{d^2}{dx^2}f(x)=0$
are not just sums of two of the constant solutions of $\frac{d}{dx}f(x)=0$.