An insight into the $q$-difference two-dimensional Toda lattice equation, $q$-difference sine-Gordon equation and their integrability

In our previous work \cite{LNS}, we constructed quasi-Casoratian solutions to the noncommutative $q$-difference two-dimensional Toda lattice ($q$-2DTL) equation by Darboux transformation, which we can prove produces the existing Casoratian solutions to the bilinear $q$-2DTL equation obtained by Hirota's bilinear method in commutative setting. It is actually true that one can not only construct solutions to soliton equations but also solutions to their corresponding B$\ddot{a}$cklund transformations by their Darboux transformations and binary Darboux transformations. To be more specific, eigenfunctions produced by iterating Darboux transformations and binary Darboux transformations for soliton equations give nothing but determinant solutions to their B$\ddot{a}$cklund transformations, individually. This reveals the profound connections between Darboux transformations and Hirota's bilinear method. In this paper, we shall expound this viewpoint in the case of the $q$-2DTL equation. First, we derive a generalized bilinear B$\ddot{a}$cklund transformation and thus a generalized Lax pair for the bilinear $q$-2DTL equation. And then we successfully construct the binary Darboux transformation for the $q$-2DTL equation, based on which, Grammian solutions expressed in terms of quantum integrals are established for both the bilinear $q$-2DTL equation and its bilinear B$\ddot{a}$cklund transformation. In the end, by imposing the 2-periodic reductions on the corresponding results of the $q$-2DTL equation, we derive a $q$-difference sine-Gordon equation, a modified $q$-difference sine-Gordon equation and obtain their corresponding solutions.