INSTABILITIES OF THE SKYRME MODEL

Previous efforts to apply finite difference methods to the Skyrme model to simulate time evolution have discovered apparent numerical instabilities. As a result, previous authors have been forced to take unusually small time-steps and introduce artificial viscosity to maintain stability. This paper analyzes finite difference schemes for. the Skyrme model, demonstrates two mechanisms for the instability, and derives a corrective measure. A stable finite difference scheme in three dimensions which uses a factor of eight less memory than previous schemes is described. (C) 1994 Academic Press, Inc.