A fluid description based on the Bernoulli equation of the one-body stationary states of quantum mechanics with real valued wavefunctions

Abstract

Abstract A formalism is developed, and applied, that describes a class of one-body quantum mechanical systems as fluids where each stationary state is a steady flow state. The time-independent Schrödinger equation for one-body stationary states with real-valued wavefunctions is shown to be equivalent to a compressible-flow generalization of the Bernoulli equation of fluid dynamics. The mass density, velocity and pressure are taken as functions that are determined by the probability density. The generalized Bernoulli equation describes compressible, irrotational, steady flow with variable mass and a constant specific total energy, i.e, a constant energy per mass for each fluid element. The generalized Bernoulli equation and a generalized continuity equation provide a fluid dynamic interpretation of a class of quantum mechanical stationary states that is an alternative to the unrealistic, static-fluid interpretation provided by the Madelung equations and quantum hydrodynamics. The total kinetic energy from the Bernoulli equation is shown to be equal to the expectation value of the kinetic energy, and the integrand of the expectation value of the kinetic energy is given an interpretation. It is also demonstrated that variable mass is necessary for a satisfactory fluid model of stationary states. However, over all space, the flows conserve mass, because the rate of mass creation from the sources are equal to the rate of mass annihilation from the sinks. The following flows are examined: the ground and first excited-states of a particle in a one-dimensional box, the harmonic oscillator, and the hydrogen s states.