Relativistic nonabelian self-dual Chern-Simons systems

Abstract

Self-dual systems are considered in relativistic Chern-Simons Higgs theories with arbitrary local gauge group and matter representation. There is a U(1) symmetry, either global or local, in these systems. With a local gauge group SU (2) and a complex scalar field in the adjoint representation, the self-duality equations in unitary gauge are shown to be identical to those in the abelian theory, which implies the existence of solitons in both the symmetric and asymmetric phases. Solitons are nontopological except for Z 2 topology in the asymmetric phase.