S^3 Skyrmions and the Rational Map Ansatz

This paper discusses multi-skyrmions on the 3-sphere with variable radius L using the rational map ansatz. For baryon number B = 3,…,9 this ansatz produces the lowest energy solutions known so far. By considering the geometry of the model we find an approximate analytic formula for the shape function. This provides an insight why skyrmions have a shell-like structure.