E_8 flavour multiplets

We analyze gauge symmetry enhancements $SO(16)\to E_8$ on eight D7-branes and $SO(14)\times U(1)\to E_8$ on seven D7-branes from open strings. String configurations which we present in this paper are essentially the same as the ones given by Gaberdiel and Zwiebach. However, our construction is based on $SO(8)\times SO(8)$ decomposition and its relation to the D8-brane case via T-duality is clearer. Then we study supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory on D3-brane near the D7-branes. This theory has flavour symmetry group which is equal to the gauge group on D7-branes. We find that when this symmetry is enhanced, two solitons make bound states which, together with elementary quarks, constitute an $E_8$ multiplet.