a theory of nuclei Manton, Nicholas 1952- creator text bibliography Electronic books. nju Hackensack, N.J World Scientific 2022 monographic eng 1 online resource (324 p.) "Skyrmions - A Theory of Nuclei surveys 60 years of research into the brilliant and imaginative idea of Tony Skyrme that atomic nuclei can be modelled as topologically stable states, known as Skyrmions, in an effective quantum field theory of pions. Skyrme theory emerges as a low-energy approximation to the more fundamental theory of quarks and gluons - quantum chromodynamics (QCD). Skyrmions give spatial structure to the protons and neutrons inside nuclei, and capture the interactions of these basic particles, allowing them to partially merge. Skyrme theory also gives a topological explanation for the conservation of baryon number, a fundamental principle of physics. The book summarises the particle and field theory background, then presents Skyrme field theory together with the mathematics needed to understand it. Many beautiful and surprisingly symmetric Skyrmions are described and illustrated in colour. Quantized Skyrmion motion models the momentum, energy and spin of nuclei, and also their isospin, the quantum number distinguishing protons and neutrons. Skyrmion vibrations also need to be quantized, and the book reviews how the complicated energy spectra of several nuclei, including Carbon-12 and Oxygen-16, are accurately modelled by rotational/vibrational states of Skyrmions. A later chapter explores variants of Skyrme theory, incorporating mesons heavier than pions, and extending the basic theory to include particles like kaons that contain strange quarks. The final chapter introduces the Sakai-Sugimoto model, which relates Skyrmions to gauge theory instantons in a higher-dimensional framework inspired by string theory"-- Introduction -- Fields and particles -- Lagrangians and symmetries -- Skyrme theory -- Quantization of Skyrmions -- Skyrmions with higher B : massless pions -- Rigid-body Skyrmion quantization -- Skyrmions with higher B : massive pions -- Quantized Skyrmions with even B [less than or equal to] 12 -- Skyrmion deformations and vibrations -- Modelling oxygen-16 -- Modelling calcium-40 -- Electromagnetic transition strengths -- Variants of Skyrme theory -- The Sakai-Sugimoto model. Nicholas S. Manton. Includes bibliographical references and index. Mode of access: World Wide Web. System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Skyrme model Atomic structure Topology Nuclear physics History Quantum theory History QC793.3.S8 M36 2022 539.7/4 9781800612488 1800612486 2021062774 https://www.worldscientific.com/worldscibooks/10.1142/q0368#t=toc https://www.worldscientific.com/worldscibooks/10.1142/q0368#t=toc WSPC 220204 20260416153407.0 000q0368 eng