Hidden quantum group symmetry in the chiral model

We apply the SL (2, C lattice Kac-Moody algebra of Alekseev, Faddeev and Semenov-Tian-Shansky to obtain a new lattice description of the SU(2) chiral model in two dimensions. The system has a global quantum group symmetry and it can be regarded as a deformation of two different theories. One is the non-abelian Toda lattice, which is obtained in the limit of infinite central charge, while the other is a non-standard Hamiltonian description of the chiral model, which is obtained in the continuum limit.