What exactly is a Skyrmion?

Based on the observation that the skyrmion in Skyrme theory can be viewed as a dressed monopole, we show that the skyrmions have two independent topology, the baryon topology $\pi_3(S^3)$ and the monopole topology $\pi_2(S^2)$. With this we propose to classify the skyrmions by two topological numbers $(m,n)$, the monopole number $m$ and the shell (radial) number $n$. In this scheme the popular (non spherically symmetric) skyrmions are classified as the $(m,1)$ skyrmions but t...

This is a review of recent developments regarding the Skyrmion sector of higher representation QCD. Ordinary QCD is a SU(n) gauge theory with n_f Dirac quarks in the fundamental representation. Changing the representation of quarks leads to different and interesting theories, which are not as well studied as ordinary QCD. In order to be able to have a consistent asymptotically free large n limit, we must limit ourselves to three cases: two-index representation (symmetric or a...

The description of the heavy baryons as heavy-meson--soliton bound systems is reviewed. We outline how such bound systems arise from effective lagrangians that respect both chiral symmetry and heavy quark symmetry. Effects due to finite heavy quark masses are also discussed, and the resulting heavy baryon spectra are compared with existing quark model and empirical results. Finally, we address some issues related to a possible connection between the usual bound state approach...

We investigate the possible existence of multibaryons with heavy flavor quantum numbers using the bound state approach to the topological soliton model and the recently proposed approximation for multiskyrmion fields based on rational maps. We use an effective interaction lagrangian which consistently incorporates both chiral symmetry and the heavy quark symmetry including the corrections up to order 1/m_Q. The model predicts some narrow heavy flavored multibaryon states with...

Skyrmions are vortex-like textures of magnetic moments found in some magnetically ordered materials. Here we describe the origin of the skyrmion and discuss the experimental realization of skyrmions in magnetic materials, the dynamic properties of the skyrmion and the potentially useful interaction of skyrmions with electrons. Our discussion is based on the physics of fields and allows us to touch on notions from field theory and topology that illustrate how skyrmions can be ...

We review an approach, developed over the past few years, to describe hadronic matter at finite density and temperature, whose underlying theoretical framework is the Skyrme model, an effective low energy theory rooted in large $N_c$ QCD. In this approach matter is described by various crystal structures of skyrmions, classical topological solitons carrying baryon number, from which conventional baryons appear by quantization. Chiral and scale symmetries play a crucial role i...

As an alternative approach to the infinite-array description of dense matter in the Skyrme model, we report about the properties of a single skyrmion on a compact 3-sphere of finite radius. The density of this matter can be increased by decreasing the hypersphere radius. As in the array calculations one encounters a transition to a distinct high density phase characterized by a delocalization in energy and baryon charge and by increased symmetries. We will argue that the high...

The chiral soliton lattice (CSL) has been studied in condensed-matter system such as chiral magnets, which arises as a parity-violating topological soliton. In hadron physics, various attempts have also been made to apply the idea of CSL to baryonic matter. In this work, we explore the CSL effects on the baryonic matter based on the skrymion crystal approach. It is found that the CSL causes an inverse catalysis for the topology change in the dense baryonic matter. Furthermore...

In this paper, we will describe recent advances in analytical methods to construct exact solutions of the Skyrme model (and its generalizations) representing inhomogeneous Hadronic condensates living at finite Baryon density. Such novel analytical tools are based on the idea to generalize the well known spherical hedgehog ansatz to situations (relevant for the analysis of finite density effects) in which there is no spherical symmetry anymore. Besides the intrinsic mathematic...

Exploiting the Hamilton quantization in the Skyrmion thoery, we investigate intrinsic frequencies of baryons such as nucleon and delta particles. We find that matter wave property of the baryons originates from these intrinsic vibrational modes defined on internal hypersphere.