What Causes Ambiguity in Wick Rotation for Time-Ordered Correlators?

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the ambiguity in Wick rotation for time-ordered correlators, specifically addressing the distinction between cases where time is greater than zero (t > 0) and less than zero (t < 0). The confusion arises from the presence of the factor e^{±iπ}, which is linked to the negative sign in front of t². This factor introduces complexities in interpreting the correlators in quantum field theory, leading to potential ambiguities in the final results of calculations.

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  • Understanding of Wick rotation in quantum field theory
  • Familiarity with time-ordered correlators
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  • Basic concepts of conformal field theory (CFT)
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thatboi
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Hi all,
I am reading the following post: https://physics.stackexchange.com/q...o-time-ordered-correlator-in-real-time-how-do
and was confused regarding the portion in the accepted answer where they made a distinction for the ##t>0## and ##t<0## case. I believe the ##e^{\pm i\pi}## factor comes from the negative sign in front of ##t^{2}## but cannot understand why there is an ambiguity in the final result.
 

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