The Skyrme model is extended with a sextic derivative term, called the BPS-Skyrme term, and a repulsive potential term, called the loosely bound potential. A large part of the model’s parameter space is studied for the 4-Skyrmion, which corresponds to the helium-4 nucleus, and emphasis is put on preserving as much of the platonic symmetries as possible while reducing the binding energies. We reach classical binding energies for helium-4 as low as 0.2%, while retaining the cubic symmetry of the 4-Skyrmion, and after taking into account the quantum mass correction to the nucleon due to spin/isospin quantization, we get total binding energies as low as 3.6%—still with the cubic symmetry intact.

• Received 7 June 2018

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.98.096018

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Published by the American Physical Society