The Structure of the D0-D4 Bound State

Abstract

We derive a set of equations for the wavefunction describing the marginal bound state of a single D0-brane with a single D4-brane. These are equations determining the vacuum of an N=8 abelian gauge theory with a charged hypermultiplet. We then solve these equations for the most general possible zero-energy solution using a Taylor series. We find that there are an infinite number of such solutions of which only one must be normalizable. We explore the structure of a normalizable solution under the assumption of an asymptotic expansion. Even the leading terms in the asymptotic series, which should reflect the supergravity solution, are unusual. Through the $Spin(5)$ flavor symmetry, the modes which are massive at long distance actually influence the leading behavior. Lastly, we show that the vacuum equations can quite remarkably be reduced to a single equation involving one unknown function. The resulting equation has a surprisingly simple and suggestive form.

46 pages; harvmac; a typo fixed and a footnote added