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In oriented Euclidean four-space, gauge curvature is self-dual when $F=\ast F$. The Hodge star squares to one on two-forms, so this picks its positive eigenspace; the negative eigenspace is anti-self-duality of gauge curvature. The Bianchi identity then implies the Yang-Mills equations, and the action saturates the positive-charge Yang-Mills instanton Bogomolny bound.

The self-dual Yang-Mills equations require a gauge curvature two-form to have positive Hodge star operator eigenvalue on an oriented Riemannian four-manifold. By the Bianchi identity, they imply the full second-order Yang-Mills equations. Smooth finite-action solutions saturate the Yang-Mills instanton Bogomolny bound. Reversing orientation exchanges this equation with the Anti-self-dual Yang-Mills equations.

A Yang-Mills instanton is a finite-action Euclidean gauge field with self-dual or anti-self-dual curvature. On ${\mathbb{R}}^4$, its asymptotic pure gauge defines a map $S_{\infty }^3\to SU(2)$ whose degree is the instanton number.

It is a gauge-field instanton solving the Euclidean Yang-Mills equations, with additional finite-action and duality conditions.