Discrete Bogomolny equations for the nonlinear O(3) σ model in 2+1 dimensions

Discrete analogues of the topological charge and of the Bogomolny equations are constructed for the nonlinear O(3) σ model in 2+1 dimensions, subject to the restriction that the energy density be radially symmetric. These are then incorporated into a discretized version of the evolution equations. Using the discrete Bogomolny relations to construct the initial data for numerical simulations removes the ''lattice wobble'' sometimes observed at low kinetic energies. This feature is very important for the delicate question of instanton stability