Imaginary time is a concept derived from quantum mechanics and is essential in connecting quantum mechanics with statistical mechanics.
Imaginary time can be difficult to visualize. If we imagine "regular time" as a horizontal line running between "past" in one direction and "future" in the other, then imaginary time would run perpendicular to this line as the imaginary numbers run perpendicular to the real numbers in the complex plane. Imaginary time is not imaginary in the sense that it is unreal or made-up — it simply runs in a direction different from the type of time we experience. In essence, imaginary time is a way of looking at the time dimension as if it were a dimension of space: you can move forward and backward along imaginary time, just like you can move right and left in space.
Read more about Imaginary Time: In Quantum Mechanics, In Cosmology
Famous quotes containing the words imaginary and/or time:
“Never waste jealousy on a real man: it is the imaginary man that supplants us all in the long run.”
—George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950)
“Our deeds disguise us. People need endless time to try on their deeds, until each knows the proper deeds for him to do. But every day, every hour, rushes by. There is no time.”
—Haniel Long (1888–1956)