Born–Infeld soliton

A supersymmetric spike of a D-brane combines a worldvolume gauge field with a transverse scalar profile. Its geometry and charge represent strings ending on the brane. Electric spikes represent fundamental strings; magnetic spikes on a D3-brane represent D1-branes. The original construction is Brane Dynamics From the Born-Infeld Action.

The DBI action resums field strengths but truncates their derivative expansion. A slowly varying large-charge throat may therefore be controlled even when its field strengths are not small. Large derivatives, large embedding curvature, string loops and gravitational backreaction restrict this description, and its ideal singular core is not uniformly controlled. The electric throat window $|N|g_s\gg 1$, $g_s^2|N|\ll 1$ and magnetic window $|N|\gg 1$, $g_s|N|\ll 1$ separate derivative and backreaction requirements.

For $X-X_{\infty }=c/r$, subtracting the planar D3-brane energy leaves $T_3\int |\nabla X{|}^2{d}^{3}x=4\pi T_3{c}^2/r_0$ outside a cutoff. Since $X_{\mathrm{cut}}-X_{\infty }=c/r_0$, its coefficient is the carried string tension. Electric charge quantization gives $c=\pi g_s|N|{\alpha }^{\prime }$ and coefficient $|N|T_{F1}$; magnetic charge gives $c=\pi |N|{\alpha }^{\prime }$ and coefficient $|N|T_{D1}$.

For one constant charge angle, the DBI Hamiltonian bound for an electric spike and its dyonic extension give the displayed equations away from sources. Each aligned branch preserves eight of the sixteen linearly realized worldvolume supersymmetries. The corresponding spacetime string–D3 configuration preserves eight of thirty-two. The bound and charge interpretation are derived in BPS Bounds for Worldvolume Branes.

For a static D3-brane with one scalar and no magnetic field, taking the Legendre transform of the DBI action gives the displayed identity. It bounds energy by the electric scalar charge and is saturated at $\mathbf{d}=\nabla X$. The opposite orientation uses the analogous identity with reversed signs. On saturation, the constitutive relation gives $\mathbf{E}=\mathbf{d}$ and the Gauss law constraint in gauge theory reduces to the Laplace equation for $X$.