Normal Modes of the B=4 Skyrme Soliton

TL;DR

This paper analyzes the vibrational modes of the B=4 Skyrme soliton, representing the alpha particle, revealing a structured spectrum of sixteen modes classified by symmetry, with implications for nuclear physics modeling.

Contribution

It introduces a simple technique to find and classify the normal modes of the B=4 Skyrme soliton, enhancing understanding of its vibrational spectrum.

Findings

Identified sixteen vibrational modes of the B=4 Skyrme soliton.

Modes classified under the cubic symmetry group $O_h$.

Spectrum shows structure consistent with Skyrmion-BPS monopole correspondence.

Abstract

The Skyrme model of nuclear physics requires quantisation if it is to match observed nuclear properties. A simple technique is used to find the normal mode spectrum of the baryon number B=4 Skyrme soliton, representing the $\alpha$ particle. We find sixteen vibrational modes and classify them under the cubic symmetry group $O_h$ of the static solution. The spectrum possesses a remarkable structure, with the lowest energy modes lying in those representations expected from an approximate correspondence between Skyrmions and BPS monopoles. The next mode up is the `breather', and above that are higher multipole breathing modes.