Journal of Applied Mathematics
Volume 2 (2002), Issue 5, Pages 241-263
doi:10.1155/S1110757X02110199
Mechanical analogy for the wave-particle: helix on a vortex filament
Lomonosov University, P.O. Box 160, Moscow 117574, Russia
Received 22 October 2001; Revised 13 February 2002
Copyright © 2002 Valery P. Dmitriyev. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Abstract
The small amplitude-to-thread ratio helical configuration of a
vortex filament in the ideal fluid behaves exactly as de Broglie
wave. The complex-valued algebra of quantum mechanics finds a
simple mechanical interpretation in terms of differential
geometry of the space curve. The wave function takes the meaning
of the velocity, with which the helix rotates about the screw
axis. The helices differ in type of the screw—right- or
left-handed. Two kinds of the helical waves deflect in the
inhomogeneous fluid vorticity field in the same way as spin
particles in the Stern-Gerlach experiment.