Explosive transitions to synchronization in weighted static scale-free networks

We present a systemical study on the thermodynamic and physical properties of Ti₂CoIn and Ti₂NiIn by using first-principles calculations. Both alloys are found to be half-metallic ferromagnets with a total spin magnetic moment per formula unit of 2.00 and 3.00μ _B . The stability is evaluated from the physical, chemical and mechanical points of view. The Curie temperature is estimated to be 553.16 K for Ti₂CoIn and 1008.59 K for Ti₂NiIn, which is well-above the room temperature. In addition, the half-metallicity of Ti₂CoIn and Ti₂NiIn is retained when the lattice constants are changed by ?12.58% to 6.76% and ?13.08% to 4.36%, respectively. Finally, using a quasiharmonic Debye model which exhibits Ti₂CoIn has a higher thermal stability than Ti₂CoIn within a limited temperature (0–500 K). Thus, the present calculations show that Ti₂CoIn and Ti₂NiIn have a great application potential in the spin valve and magnetic tunnel junction.     

Explosive synchronization in clustered scale-free networks: Revealing the existence of chimera state

The collective dynamics of Kuramoto oscillators with a positive correlation between the incoherent and fully coherent domains in clustered scale-free networks is studied. Emergence of chimera states for the onsets of explosive synchronization transition is observed during an intermediate coupling regime when degree-frequency correlation is established for the hubs with the highest degrees. Diagnostic of the abrupt synchronization is revealed by the intrinsic spectral properties of the network graph Laplacian encoded in the heterogeneous phase space manifold, through extensive analytical investigation, presenting realistic MC simulations of nonlocal interactions in discrete time dynamics evolving on the network.     

Mutual and intermittent enhancements of synchronization transitions by autaptic and synaptic delay in scale-free neuron networks

In neural networks, there exist both synaptic delays among different neurons and autaptic self-feedback delays in a neuron itself. In this paper, we study synchronization transitions induced by synaptic and autaptic delays in scale-free neuron networks, mainly exploring how these two time delays affect synchronization transitions induced by each other. It is found that the synchronization transitions induced by synaptic (autaptic) delay are intermittently enhanced when autaptic (synaptic) delay is varied. There are optimal autaptic strength and synaptic coupling strength by which the synchronization transitions induced by autaptic and synaptic delays become strongest. The underlying mechanisms are briefly discussed in terms of the relationships of autaptic delay, synaptic delay, and inter-burst interval. These results show that synaptic and autaptic delays could contribute to each other and enhance synchronization transitions in the neuronal networks. This implies that autaptic and synaptic delays could play a vital role for the information transmission in neural systems.     

Phase synchronization on scale-free networks with community structure

In this Letter, we propose a growing network model that can generate scale-free networks with a tunable community strength. The community strength, C, is directly measured by the ratio of the number of external edges to that of the internal ones; a smaller C   corresponds to a stronger community structure. By using the Kuramoto model, we investigated the phase synchronization on this network and found an abnormal region (C?0.002$C?0.002$), in which the network has even worse synchronizability than the unconnected case (C=0$C=0$). On the other hand, the community effect will vanish when C exceeds 0.1. Between these two extreme regions, a stronger community structure will hinder global synchronization.     

Explosive synchronization: From synthetic to real-world networks

Synchronization is a widespread phenomenon in both synthetic and real-world networks. This collective behavior of simple and complex systems has been attracting much research during the last decades. Two different routes to synchrony are defined in networks; first-order, characterized as explosive, and second-order, characterized as continuous transition. Although pioneer researches explained that the transition type is a generic feature in the networks, recent studies proposed some frameworks in which different phase and even chaotic oscillators exhibit explosive synchronization. The relationship between the structural properties of the network and the dynamical features of the oscillators is mainly proclaimed because some of these frameworks show abrupt transitions. Despite different theoretical analyses about the appearance of the first-order transition, studies are limited to the mean-field theory, which cannot be generalized to all networks. There are different real-world and man-made networks whose properties can be characterized in terms of explosive synchronization, e.g., the transition from unconsciousness to wakefulness in the brain and spontaneous synchronization of power-grid networks. In this review article, explosive synchronization is discussed from two main aspects. First, pioneer articles are categorized from the dynamical-structural framework point of view. Then, articles that considered different oscillators in the explosive synchronization frameworks are studied. In this article, the main focus is on the explosive synchronization in networks with chaotic and neuronal oscillators. Also, efforts have been made to consider the recent articles which proposed new frameworks of explosive synchronization.     

Explosive synchronization of complex networks with different chaotic oscillators

Recent studies have shown that explosive synchronization transitions can be observed in networks of phase oscillators [Gómez-Garden es J,Gómez S,Arenas A and Moreno Y 2011 Phys.Rev.Lett.106 128701] and chaotic oscillators [Leyva I,Sevilla-Escoboza R,BuldúJ M,Sendin a-Nadal I,Gómez-Garden es J,Arenas A,Moreno Y,Gómez S,Jaimes-Reátegui R and Boccaletti S 2012 Phys.Rev.Lett.108 168702].Here,we study the effect of different chaotic dynamics on the synchronization transitions in small world networks and scale free networks.The continuous transition is discovered for Rssler systems in both of the above complex networks.However,explosive transitions take place for the coupled Lorenz systems,and the main reason is the abrupt change of dynamics before achieving complete synchronization.Our results show that the explosive synchronization transitions are accompanied by the change of system dynamics.     

Complex transitions to synchronization in delay-coupled networks of logistic maps

A network of delay-coupled logistic maps exhibits two different synchronization regimes, depending on the distribution of the coupling delay times. When the delays are homogeneous throughout the network, the network synchronizes to a time-dependent state [F.M. Atay, J. Jost, A. Wende, Phys. Rev. Lett. 92, 144101 (2004)], which may be periodic or chaotic depending on the delay; when the delays are sufficiently heterogeneous, the synchronization proceeds to a steady-state, which is unstable for the uncoupled map [C. Masoller, A.C. Marti, Phys. Rev. Lett. 94, 134102 (2005)]. Here we characterize the transition from time-dependent to steady-state synchronization as the width of the delay distribution increases. We also compare the two transitions to synchronization as the coupling strength increases. We use transition probabilities calculated via symbolic analysis and ordinal patterns. We find that, as the coupling strength increases, before the onset of steady-state synchronization the network splits into two clusters which are in anti-phase relation with each other. On the other hand, with increasing delay heterogeneity, no cluster formation is seen at the onset of steady-state synchronization; however, a rather complex unsynchronized state is detected, revealed by a diversity of transition probabilities in the network nodes.     

Noisy scale-free networks

The impact of observational noise on the analysis of scale-free networks is studied. Various noise sources are modeled as random link removal, random link exchange and random link addition. Emphasis is on the resulting modifications for the node-degree distribution and for a functional ranking based on betweenness centrality. The implications for estimated gene-expressed networks for childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia are discussed.     

Order parameter analysis of synchronization transitions on star networks

The collective behaviors of populations of coupled oscillators have attracted significant attention in recent years. In this paper, an order parameter approach is proposed to study the low-dimensional dynamical mechanism of collective synchronizations, by adopting the star-topology of coupled oscillators as a prototype system. The order parameter equation of star-linked phase oscillators can be obtained in terms of the Watanabe–Strogatz transformation, Ott–Antonsen ansatz, and the ensemble order parameter approach. Different solutions of the order parameter equation correspond to the diverse collective states, and different bifurcations reveal various transitions among these collective states. The properties of various transitions in the star-network model are revealed by using tools of nonlinear dynamics such as time reversibility analysis and linear stability analysis.     

Channel noise-induced temporal coherence transitions and synchronization transitions in adaptive neuronal networks with time delay

Using spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP), we study the effect of channel noise on temporal coherence and synchronization of adaptive scale-free Hodgkin-Huxley neuronal networks with time delay. It is found that the spiking regularity and spatial synchronization of the neurons intermittently increase and decrease as channel noise intensity is varied, exhibiting transitions of temporal coherence and synchronization. Moreover, this phenomenon depends on time delay, STDP, and network average degree. As time delay increases, the phenomenon is weakened, however, there are optimal STDP and network average degree by which the phenomenon becomes strongest. These results show that channel noise can intermittently enhance the temporal coherence and synchronization of the delayed adaptive neuronal networks. These findings provide a new insight into channel noise for the information processing and transmission in neural systems.     

Epidemic spreading in scale-free networks

The Internet has a very complex connectivity recently modeled by the class of scale-free networks. This feature, which appears to be very efficient for a communications network, favors at the same time the spreading of computer viruses. We analyze real data from computer virus infections and find the average lifetime and persistence of viral strains on the Internet. We define a dynamical model for the spreading of infections on scale-free networks, finding the absence of an epidemic threshold and its associated critical behavior. This new epidemiological framework rationalizes data of computer viruses and could help in the understanding of other spreading phenomena on communication and social networks.     

Anomalous transport in scale-free networks

To study transport properties of scale-free and Erdos-Rényi networks, we analyze the conductance G between two arbitrarily chosen nodes of random scale-free networks with degree distribution P(k)-k(-lambda) in which all links have unit resistance. We predict a broad range of values of G, with a power-law tail distribution phi(SF)(G)-G(-g(G)), where g(G)=2lambda-1, and confirm our predictions by simulations. The power-law tail in phi(SF)(G) leads to large values of G, signaling better transport in scale-free networks compared to Erdos-Rényi networks where the tail of the conductivity distribution decays exponentially. Based on a simple physical "transport backbone" picture we show that the conductances of scale-free and Erdos-Rényi networks are well approximated by ck(A)k(B)/(k(A)+k(B)) for any pair of nodes A and B with degrees k(A) and k(B), where c emerges as the main parameter characterizing network transport.     

Pair correlations in scale-free networks

Correlation between nodes is found to be a common and important property in many complex networks. Here we investigate degree correlations of the Barabasi－Albert (BA) scale-free model with both analytical results and simulations, and find two neighbouring regions, a disassortative one for low degrees and a neutral one for high degrees. The average degree of the neighbours of a randomly picked node is expected to diverge in the limit of infinite network size. As a generalization of the concept of correlation, we also study the correlations of other scalar properties, including age and clustering coefficient. Finally we propose a correlation measurement in bipartite networks.     

Synchronization in lattice-embedded scale-free networks

In this work, we study the effects of embedding a system of non-linear phase oscillators in a two-dimensional scale-free lattice. In order to analyze the effects of the embedding, we consider two different topologies. On the one hand, we consider a scale-free complex network where no constraint on the length of the links is taken into account. On the other hand, we use a method recently introduced for embedding scale-free networks in regular Euclidean lattices. In this case, the embedding is driven by a natural constraint of minimization of the total length of the links in the system. We analyze and compare the synchronization properties of a system of non-linear Kuramoto phase oscillators, when interactions between the oscillators take place in these networks. First, we analyze the behavior of the Kuramoto order parameter and show that the onset of synchronization is lower for non-constrained lattices. Then, we consider the behavior of the mean frequency of the oscillators as a function of the natural frequency for the two different networks and also for different values of the scale-free exponent. We show that, in contrast to non-embedded lattices that present a mean-field-like behavior characterized by the presence of a single cluster of synchronized oscillators, in embedded lattices the presence of a diversity of synchronized clusters at different mean frequencies can be observed. Finally, by considering the behavior of the mean frequency as a function of the degree, we study the role of hubs in the synchronization properties of the system.     

Sandpile on scale-free networks

We investigate the avalanche dynamics of the Bak-Tang-Wiesenfeld sandpile model on scale-free (SF) networks, where the threshold height of each node is distributed heterogeneously, given as its own degree. We find that the avalanche size distribution follows a power law with an exponent tau. Applying the theory of the multiplicative branching process, we obtain the exponent tau and the dynamic exponent z as a function of the degree exponent gamma of SF networks as tau=gamma divided by (gamma-1) and z=(gamma-1) divided by (gamma-2) in the range 23, with a logarithmic correction at gamma=3. The analytic solution supports our numerical simulation results. We also consider the case of a uniform threshold, finding that the two exponents reduce to the mean-field ones.     

Explosive synchronization of multi-layer complex networks based on inter-layer star network connection

Explosive synchronization (ES) is a first-order transition phenomenon that is ubiquitous in various physical and biological systems. In recent years, researchers have focused on explosive synchronization in a single-layer network, but few in multi-layer networks. This paper proposes a frequency-weighted Kuramoto model in multi-layer complex networks with star connection between layers and analyzes the factors affecting the backward critical coupling strength by both theoretical analysis and numerical validation. Our results show that the backward critical coupling strength of each layer network is influenced by the inter-layer interaction strength and the average degree. The number of network layers, the number of nodes, and the network topology can not directly affect the synchronization of the network. Enhancing the inter-layer interaction strength can prevent the emergence of explosive synchronization and increasing the average degree can promote the generation of explosive synchronization.     

Assortativeness and information in scale-free networks

We analyze Shannon information of scale-free networks in terms of their assortativeness, and identify classes of networks according to the dependency of the joint remaining degree distribution on the assortativeness. We conjecture that these classes comprise minimalistic and maximalistic networks in terms of Shannon information. For the studied classes, the information is shown to depend non-linearly on the absolute value of the assortativeness, with the dominant term of the relationship being a power-law. We exemplify this dependency using a range of real-world networks. Optimization of scale-free networks according to information they contain depends on the landscape of parameters’ search-space, and we identify two regions of interest: a slope region and a stability region. In the slope region, there is more freedom to generate and evaluate candidate networks since the information content can be changed easily by modifying only the assortativeness, while even a small change in the power-law’s scaling exponent brings a reward in a higher rate of information change. This feature may explain why the exponents of real-world scale-free networks are within a certain range, defined by the slope and stability regions.     

Epidemic spreading in lattice-embedded scale-free networks

We study geographical effects on the spread of diseases in lattice-embedded scale-free networks. The geographical structure is represented by the connecting probability of two nodes that is related to the Euclidean distance between them in the lattice. By studying the standard susceptible-infected model, we found that the geographical structure has great influences on the temporal behavior of epidemic outbreaks and the propagation in the underlying network: the more geographically constrained the network is, the more smoothly the epidemic spreads, which is different from the clearly hierarchical dynamics that the infection pervades the networks in a progressive cascade across smaller-degree classes in Barabási–Albert scale-free networks.     

Pattern evolution in non-synchronizable scale-free networks

Pattern formation and evolution in the desynchronizing process of scale-free complex networks are investigated. Depending on how far the system is away from the synchronizable regime, two types of synchronous patterns are identified, namely, the giant-cluster state (GCS) and the scattered-cluster state (SCS). GCS is observed when a system is immediately outside of the synchronizable regime, where the dynamics undergoes a process of on-off intermittency and the patterns are signatured by the existence of a giant synchronous cluster. As the system leaves away from the synchronizable regime, GCS gradually transforms into SCS, accompanied by the continuous dissolving of the giant cluster. Both the two types of patterns are non-stationary, reflected as the timely changed size and content of the clusters. By introducing a new form of synchronization, the temporal phase synchronization, we investigate the dynamical and statistical properties of these non-stationary patterns. An interesting finding is that the unstable nodes of GCS, i.e. nodes that escape from the giant cluster more frequently, are independent of the coupling strength but are sensitive to the bifurcation types. The intermittent behavior of GCS is analyzed by a theory of snapshot attractors, and the theoretical predications fit the numerical observations qualitatively well.