SOLITONS IN GAUGED SIGMA-MODELS - 2 DIMENSIONS

A prescription for the gauging of 2-dimensional Sigma models is studie d. This prescription satisfies the criterion that the U(1) gauged Sigm a model supports topologically stable solitons, like its ungauged coun terpart. The gauging is carried out separately for both Maxwell and Ch ern-Simons dynamics of the U(1) field and it is shown that independent ly of this dynamics and of the inclusion of all possible Skyrme terms, our criterion is fulfilled. In the Maxwell case, the vortices are pre sented in detail and are seen to have some interesting properties of t heir own.