Quantum Field Theory as Manifestation of Self-Organized Criticality

Self-organized criticality (SOC) reflects the ability of many complex dynamical systems to self-sustain critical behavior outside equilibrium. Here we provide analytic evidence that quantum field propagators and the probability distribution of SOC share a common foundation. In particular, we find that the formal structure of quantum propagators replicates the finite scaling ansatz (FSS) of SOC, which is a generic paradigm for the emergence of complexity in Nature.