Wick rotation

noun

A method of finding a solution to a mathematical problem in Minkowski space from a solution to a related problem in Euclidean space by means of a transformation that substitutes an imaginary-number variable for a real-number variable.

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Meanings

nounWick rotation (countable and uncountable, plural Wick rotations)

plural Wick rotations

  1. countableuncountablemathematicsA method of finding a solution to a mathematical problem in Minkowski space from a solution to a related problem in Euclidean space by means of a transformation that substitutes an imaginary-number variable for a real-number variable.

Origin

Named after Gian-Carlo Wick.

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Cite this entry
APA

Wick rotation. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Wick%20rotation

MLA

“Wick rotation.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Wick%20rotation. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Wick rotation,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Wick%20rotation.

Source: Wick rotation on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.