WEAK SKYRMIONS AND SPHALERONS - THE CASE OF FINITE HIGGS MASS

When the gauged non-linear a-model is supplemented by a Skyrme term stable as well as unstable classical solutions exist: weak Skyrmions and sphalerons. Without the Skyrme term there remains only a sequence of sphalerons, which can be continued to finite Higgs masses. Here we investigate a model containing both, a finite Higgs mass and a Skyrme term. Stable weak Skyrmion solutions occur only above critical values of the Higgs mass and the Skyrme coupling constant.