Abstract
We study in this paper a new approach to the problem of relating solutions to the Einstein field equations with Riemannian and Lorentzian signatures. The procedure can be thought of as a "real Wick rotation." We give a modified action for general relativity, depending on two real parameters, that can be used to control the signature of the solutions to the field equations. We show how this procedure works for the Schwarzschild metric and discuss some possible applications of the formalism in the context of signature change, the problem of time, and black hole thermodynamics.
- Received 27 November 1995
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.54.1492
©1996 American Physical Society