Complex BPS Skyrmions with real energy

Abstract We propose and investigate several complex versions of extensions and restrictions of the Skyrme model with a well-defined Bogomolny-Prasad-Sommerfield (BPS) limit. The models studied possess complex kink, anti-kink, semi-kink, massless and purely imaginary compacton BPS solutions that all have real energies. The reality of the energies for a particular solution is guaranteed when a modified antilinear CPT -symmetry maps the Hamiltonian functional to its parity time-reversed complex conjugate and the solution field to itself or a new field with degenerate energy. In addition to the known BPS Skyrmion configurations we find new types that we refer to as step, cusp, shell, and purely imaginary compacton solutions.