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0 votes
0 answers
100 views

What is the topology of sine-Gordon equation?

In one pdf on solitons, I am finding the following written For the sine-Gordon theory, it is much better to think of $\phi$ as a field modulo $2\pi$, i.e. as a function $\phi: R \rightarrow S_{1}$. ...
Arkaprava Sil's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
61 views

If principle $SU(N)$ bundles on 3-manifolds are trivial, how can there be magnetic monopoles?

Magnetic monopoles are solitons, i.e. field configurations on space (which is 3 dimensional). In pure $SU(N)$ gauge theory, magnetic monopoles can be constructed via 't Hooft's abelian projection (...
dennis's user avatar
  • 742
2 votes
1 answer
400 views

An instanton in $d$ dimensions is often a soliton in $d + 1$ dimensions?

The title of this questions is a "folklore" I've heard from a lot of researchers, but I never understood why this is the case. I know what an instanton and soliton is, respectively in the ...
PeaBrane's user avatar
  • 713
1 vote
1 answer
100 views

What are the two different $\mathbb{S}^n$ in the construction of the homotopy group $\pi_n(\mathbb{S}^n)$ that classifies topological defects?

According to Mukhanov's Physical Foundations of Cosmology, Homotopy groups give us a useful unifying description of topological defects. Maps of the $n$-dimensional sphere $\mathbb{S}^n$ into a ...
SRS's user avatar
  • 26.8k
2 votes
0 answers
83 views

Topological solitons in general dimension

Let's begin with a simple model of a field theory: $$ \mathcal{H} = \int ( \nabla \phi ) ^2 $$ where $\phi$ is an angle valued field defined on some space. We suppose for the moment to freeze out ...
MrRobot's user avatar
  • 781
4 votes
1 answer
1k views

What is the intuition for topological currents?

The reason for topological stability of a kink solution in scalar field theory in $1+1$ dimensions is the fact that the finite energy scalar field cannot be continuously deformed into a vacuum. How ...
Diracology's user avatar
  • 17.8k
1 vote
1 answer
272 views

Vacuum Manifold of an $SU(2)$ Theory

I am reading Coleman's book "Aspects of Symmetry", specifically chapter 6 "Classical Lumps and their Quantum Descendants". He gives an Example 5 p. 209 for the topological solutions for an $SU(2)$ ...
Jropp's user avatar
  • 21