Quantum Mechanics for the Swimming of Micro-Organism in Two Dimensions

Abstract

In two dimensional fluid, there are only two classes of swimming ways of micro-organisms, {\it i.e.}, ciliated and flagellated motions. Towards understanding of this fact, we analyze the swimming problem by using $w_{1+\infty}$ and/or $W_{1+\infty}$ algebras. In the study of the relationship between these two algebras, there appear the wave functions expressing the shape of micro-organisms. In order to construct the well-defined quantum mechanics based on $W_{1+\infty}$ algebra and the wave functions, essentially only two different kinds of the definitions are allowed on the hermitian conjugate and the inner products of the wave functions. These two definitions are related with the shapes of ciliates and flagellates. The formulation proposed in this paper using $W_{1+\infty}$ algebra and the wave functions is the quantum mechanics of the fluid dynamics where the stream function plays the role of the Hamiltonian. We also consider the area-preserving algebras which arise in the swimming problem of micro-organisms in the two dimensional fluid. These algebras are larger than the usual $w_{1+\infty}$ and $W_{1+\infty}$ algebras. We give a free field representation of this extended $W_{1+\infty}$ algebra.