Spin and Madelung fluid
Abstract
Starting from the Pauli current we obtain the decomposition of the non-relativistic local velocity in two parts: one parallel and the other orthogonal to the momentum. The former is recognized to be the ``classical'' part, that is the velocity of the center-of-mass, and the latter the ``quantum'' one, that is the velocity of the motion in the center-of-mass frame (namely, the internal ``spin motion'' or Zitterbewegung). Inserting the complete expression of the velocity into the kinetic energy term of the classical non-relativistic (i.e., Newtonian) Lagrangian, we straightforwardly derive the so-called ``quantum potential'' associated to the Madelung fluid. In such a way, the quantum mechanical behaviour of particles appears to be strictly correlated to the existence of spin and Zitterbewegung.