LATTICE SADDLE-POINT CONFIGURATIONS IN SU(2)3

We have implemented a procedure, which we call extremization, that deterministically evolves a configuration of lattice field theory towards a solution of the lattice field equations. The solution obtained need not be a local minimum of the action. A Fourier accelerated version of the algorithm is used in three-dimensional SU (2) lattice gauge theory to generate saddle-point solutions of the lattice field equations from Monte Carlo generated lattices. We find that the string tension persists under moderate extremization, during which the average action decreases by a factor of about 100 and the lattices show localized peaks in the action density, as seen in cooling. Continued extremization removes the plateau in the Creutz ratios.