Abstract
Mean field games (MFG) provide a theoretical frame to model socioeconomic systems. In this Letter, we study a particular class of MFG that shows strong analogies with the nonlinear Schrödinger and Gross-Pitaevskii equations introduced in physics to describe a variety of physical phenomena. Using this bridge, many results and techniques developed along the years in the latter context can be transferred to the former, which provides both a new domain of application for the nonlinear Schrödinger equation and a new and fruitful approach in the study of mean field games. Utilizing this approach, we analyze in detail a population dynamics model in which the “players” are under a strong incentive to coordinate themselves.
- Received 1 December 2015
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.116.128701
© 2016 American Physical Society
Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)
Synopsis
Playing Games with Schrödinger
Published 23 March 2016
Models that treat economic and biological behavior in terms of game-play resemble quantum mechanics.
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