noun
vector potential
Technical term in physics, especially electromagnetism and quantum mechanics. Refers to a vector field whose curl gives a magnetic field.
電磁気学では、磁場はベクトルポテンシャルの回転として表される。
In electromagnetism, the magnetic field is expressed as the curl of the vector potential.
Spelling with interpunct; less common but seen in some texts.
Scalar potential is a scalar field whose gradient gives a vector field, while vector potential is a vector field whose curl gives a vector field.
Loanword from English 'vector potential'. The term was introduced in 19th-century physics and adopted into Japanese as a katakana compound.