Bohmian mechanics, also referred to as the de Broglie-Bohm pilot-wave theory, represents a deterministic and nonlocal interpretation of quantum mechanics. Central to this framework is a description of quantum motion in terms of particle trajectories, whose reconciliation with relativity remains a fundamental challenge. Although relativistic guidance laws have been proposed, their predicted dynamics has remained experimentally untested. Here we use weak measurements in a single-photon interferometer to jointly reconstruct the photon energy and momentum weak values and the associated relativistic velocity field. The reconstructed average trajectories agree with theoretical predictions. Near destructive interference, the flow exhibits local reconstructed velocities exceeding the speed of light and negative values of the effective squared-mass parameter. Our results establish an experimental basis for investigating the physical meaning of quantum trajectories and their role in describing motion in relativistic spacetime.
A vacuum medium model is advanced. The motion of a relativistic particle in relation to its interaction with the medium is discussed. It is predicted that elementary excitations of the vacuum, called "inertons," should exist. The equations of the particle path in Euclidean space are derived. The motion is marked by the relations basic for quantum mechanics:
E=hν and
Mv=h/λ (here,
λ is the amplitude of spatial oscillations of the particle along the trajectory, i.e., the interval at which the velocity of the particle is periodically altered from
v to 0 and then from 0 to
v;
ν is the frequency of these oscillations). Analysis is performed on the transition to wave mechanics where
λ manifests itself as the de Broglie wavelength and
ν is the distinctive frequency of the "particle-wave". A prerequisite for the wave solution to be Lorentz-invariant is treated. A hypothesis for a plausible hydrodynamic description of the relativistic particle motion is covered.