Klein-Gordon Equation in Hydrodynamical Form

TL;DR

This paper reformulates the Klein-Gordon equation into a hydrodynamical form using a modified Feshbach-Villars approach, linking quantum wave functions to classical-like relativistic fluid dynamics.

Contribution

It introduces a novel hydrodynamical formulation of the Klein-Gordon equation that includes quantum stress effects and connects to classical kinetic theory.

Findings

Derivation of relativistic hydrodynamics equations from Klein-Gordon formalism

Identification of quantum stress tensor effects in the hydrodynamical equations

Approximate classical limit of the Wigner function matches collisionless kinetic theory

Abstract

We follow and modify the Feshbach-Villars formalism by separating the Klein-Gordon equation into two coupled time-dependent Schroedinger equations for particle and antiparticle wave function components with positive probability densities. We find that the equation of motion for the probability densities is in the form of relativistic hydrodynamics where various forces have their classical counterparts, with the additional element of the quantum stress tensor that depends on the derivatives of the amplitude of the wave function. We derive the equation of motion for the Wigner function and we find that its approximate classical weak-field limit coincides with the equation of motion for the distribution function in the collisionless kinetic theory.