Mathisson's helical motions demystified

Abstract: The motion of spinning test particles in general relativity is described by Mathisson-Papapetrou-Dixon equations, which are undetermined up to a spin supplementary condition, the latter being today still an open question. The Mathisson-Pirani (MP) condition is known to lead to rather mysterious helical motions which have been deemed unphysical, and for this reason discarded. We show that these assessments are unfounded and originate from a subtle (but crucial) misconception. We discuss the kinematical explanation of the helical motions, and dynamically interpret them through the concept of hidden momentum, which has an electromagnetic analogue. We also show that, contrary to previous claims, the frequency of the helical motions coincides exactly with the zitterbewegung frequency of the Dirac equation for the electron.