A higher-order Skyrme model

We propose a higher-order Skyrme model with derivative terms of eighth, tenth and twelfth order. Our construction yields simple and easy-to-interpret higher-order Lagrangians. We first show that a Skyrmion with higher-order terms proposed by Marleau has an instability in the form of a baby-Skyrmion string, while the static energies of our construction are positive definite, implying stability against time-independent perturbations. However, we also find that the Hamiltonians of our construction possess two kinds of dynamical instabilities, which may indicate the instability with respect to time-dependent perturbations. Different from the well-known Ostrogradsky instability, the instabilities that we find are intrinsically of nonlinear nature and also due to the fact that even powers of the inverse metric gives a ghost-like higher-order kinetic-like term. The vacuum state is, however, stable. Finally, we show that at sufficiently low energies, our Hamiltonians in the simplest cases, are stable against time-dependent perturbations.Comment: LaTeX: 42 pages, 3 figures; V2: simplifications implemented in Secs. 5 and 6, and references adde

Knotted domain strings

We construct meta-stable knotted domain strings on the surface of a soliton of the shape of a torus in 3+1 dimensions. We consider the simplest case of Z2 Wess-Zumino-type domain walls for which we can cover the torus with a domain string accompanied with an anti-domain string. In this theory, all (p,q)-torus knots can be realized as a linked pair of a(n) (un)knotted domain string and an anti-domain string.Comment: 6 pages, 8 figures; V2: extended version with more details about the host model, the numerics and the stability of the solution

Domain wall Skyrmions

Skyrmions of different dimensions are related by domain walls. We obtain explicit full numerical solutions of various Skyrmion configurations trapped inside a domain wall. We find for the quadratic mass-term that multi-Skyrmions are ring-shaped, and conjecture for the linear mass-term, that the lowest-energy state of multi-Skyrmions will consist of charge-2 rings accommodated in a lattice.Comment: LaTeX: 18 pages, 14 figures; V2: typos correcte

Effective field theories on solitons of generic shapes

A class of effective field theories for moduli or collective coordinates on solitons of generic shapes is constructed. As an illustration, we consider effective field theories living on solitons in the O(4) non-linear sigma model with higher-derivative terms.Comment: LaTeX: 6 pages, 1 figure; V2: published version, added discussion of higher-order correction

Some exact Bradlow vortex solutions

We consider the Bradlow equation for vortices which was recently found by Manton and find a two-parameter class of analytic solutions in closed form on nontrivial geometries with non-constant curvature. The general solution to our class of metrics is given by a hypergeometric function and the area of the vortex domain by the Gaussian hypergeometric function.Comment: LaTeX: 16 pages, no figures; V2: references added, minor additions; V3 (published version): toy model added as section 3 and conjecture 1 added in section 4.