and careful investigation [@half] shows that it remains smooth at the origin ($v=w=0$). However, because it contains $w^2$, upon dimensional reduction we find [*two*]{} D2-branes lying at $x_9=0$. The corresponding sheets of the M2-brane lie at $x_{10} = \psi$ and $x_{10} = \psi + \pi.$ Deforming this surface to move the asymptotic parts of both D2 branes to large $|x_9|$ therefore produces a string-like piece of D2-brane connected to the D6-brane and carrying a full unit of fundamental string charge and tension.

Note that the two D2-branes cannot be separated from one another as, when the angle $\psi$ increases by $2\pi$, we must move from one brane to the other. It turns out (see [@half]) that in fact all D2-brane configurations that can be compactified have a similar structure, with a pair of D2-branes forming a Riemann surface whose a branch point lies at the location of the D6-brane. As a result, the same behavior should be found in the T-dual D0/D8 system. That is, in the background of a unit charged D8-brane, D0-branes should only occur in pairs and these pairs must be connected to the D8-brane by (integer) fundamental strings. We refer to this effect as “confinement of 