A note on higher-charge configurations for the Faddeev-Hopf model
  We identify higher-charge configurations that satisfy Euler-Lagrange equations for the (strong coupling limit of) Faddeev-Hopf model, by means of adequate changes of the domain metric and a reduction technique based on $\alpha$-Hopf construction. In the last case it is proved that the solutions are local minima for the reduced energy and we identify among them those who are global minima for the unreduced energy. 
Radu Slobodeanu