Solutions to Yang-Mills equations that are not self-dual.
The Yang-Mills functional for connections on principle SU(2) bundles over S(4) is studied. Critical points of the functional satisfy a system of second-order partial differential equations, the Yang-Mills equations. If, in particular, the critical point is a minimum, it satisfies a first-order system, the self-dual or anti-self-dual equations. Here, we exhibit an infinite number of finite-action nonminimal unstable critical points. They are obtained by constructing a topologically nontrivial loop of connections to which min-max theory is applied. The construction exploits the fundamental relationship between certain invariant instantons on S(4) and magnetic monopoles on H(3). This result settles a question in gauge field theory that has been open for many years.
Sibner
L M
LM
Department of Mathematics, Polytechnic University of New York, Brooklyn, NY 11201.
Sibner
R J
RJ
Uhlenbeck
K
K