Russian physicists received promising results in a field of mathematical physics, known as “logarithmic conformal field theory”. These results allow building accurate models of forest fires, avalanching and traffic jams.
      
      Let’s imagine a cross section or squared sheet of paper, and let the lines of the sheet be pipes with water. Each side of the pipe system is equipped with a water tank, and each pipe has many valves, which are randomly open or closed. Following questions will appear: will water be flowing from the other side? What time it will take water to leak? How many leaks will happen? What is the possibility of further leakage, if leaks were detected in some certain place? Similar question appear, when we think of traffic jams.
      
      In order to describe a phenomenon, physicists usually use existing mathematical tools, but in this case they had to make a significant contribution to mathematics – to the theory of quantum groups, which explains how self-organizing systems function. Russian physicists overcame all difficulties and now can calculate avalanche development, for instance, and find conditions of its formation.
      
      Source: Тутнекийтекст