Model for topological fermions

We introduce a model designed to describe charged particles as stable topological solitons of a field with values an the internal space S3. These solitons behave like particles with relativistic properties like Lorentz contraction and velocity dependence of mass. This mass is defined by the energy of the soliton. In this sense this model is a generalization of the Sine-Gordon model (we do not chase the aim to give a four-dimensional generalization of Coleman's isomorphism between the Sine-Gordon model and the Thirring model which was shown in 2-dimensional space-time) from 1 + 1-dimensions to 3 + 1-dimensions, from S1 to S3. For large distances from the centre of solitons this model tends to a dual U(1)-theory with freely propagating electromagnetic waves. Already at the classical level it describes important effects, which usually have to be explained by quantum field theory, like particle-antiparticle annihilation and the running of the coupling. (author)