Let M, N be Riemannian manifolds, f: M → N a harmonic map with potential H, namely, a smooth critical point of the functional EH(f) = ∫M[e(f)−H(f)], where e(f) is the energy density of f. Some results concerning the stability of these maps between spheres and any Riemannian manifold are given. For a general class of M, this paper also gives a result on the constant boundary-value problem which generalizes the result of Karcher-Wood even in the case of the usual harmonic maps. It can also be applied to the static Landau-Lifshitz equations.
