Fractional field equations for highly improbable events

Abstract

Free and weakly interacting particles perform approximately Gaussian random walks with collisions. They follow a second-quantized nonlinear Schrödinger equation, or relativistic versions of it. By contrast, the fields of strongly interacting particles extremize more involved effective actions obeying fractional wave equations with anomalous dimensions. Their particle orbits perform universal Lévy walks with heavy tails, in which rare events are much more frequent than in Gaussian random walks. Such rare events are observed in exceptionally strong windgusts, monster or rogue waves, earthquakes, and financial crashes. While earthquakes may destroy entire cities, the latter have the potential of devastating entire economies.