< 1 >
Wick rotation
A wick rotation is a method of finding a solution of a mathematical problem in Minkowski space by solving a related problem in Euclidean space.
Explanation
A transformation replaces a purely imaginary variable with a real variable.
The idea of rotation stems from the observation that Minkowski metrics in natural units
and Euclidean metrics in four dimensions
coincide if you put t = −iτ. This solution may then, under reverse substitution, yield a solution to the original problem.
HistoryThe rotation is named after the Italien physicist Gian Carlo Wick (1909 - 1992). |