A BPS Skyrme model

TL;DR

This paper introduces a BPS Skyrme submodel with infinite symmetries and solutions, reproducing nuclear features and allowing semiclassical quantization of nucleons.

Contribution

It identifies a new submodel within Skyrme theories that has infinite symmetries and soliton solutions, with potential relevance to nuclear physics.

Findings

The submodel has infinitely many exact soliton solutions.

It reproduces features of the liquid drop model of nuclei.

Classical and semiclassical properties of the model are discussed.

Abstract

Within the set of generalized Skyrme models, we identify a submodel which has both infinitely many symmetries and a Bogomolny bound which is saturated by infinitely many exact soliton solutions. Concretely, the submodel consists of the square of the baryon current and a potential term only. Further, already on the classical level, this BPS Skyrme model reproduces some features of the liquid drop model of nuclei. Here, we review the properties of the model and we discuss the semiclassical quantization of the simplest Skyrmion (the nucleon).