Realistic classical binding energies in the \u03c9-Skyrme model

Abstract

An omega-meson extension of the Skyrme model — without the Skyrme term but including the pion mass — first considered by Adkins and Nappi is studied in detail for baryon numbers 1 to 8. The static problem is reformulated as a constrained energy minimisation problem within a natural geometric framework and studied analytically on compact domains, and numerically on Euclidean space. Using a constrained second-order Newton flow algorithm, classical energy minimisers are constructed for various values of the omegapion coupling. At high coupling, these Skyrmion solutions are qualitatively similar to the Skyrmions of the standard Skyrme model with massless pions. At sufficiently low coupling, they show similarities with those in the lightly bound Skyrme model: the Skyrmions of low baryon number dissociate into lightly bound clusters of distinct 1-Skyrmions, and the classical binding energies for baryon numbers 2 through 8 have realistic values.