Multiple phase transitions in networks of directed networks

Abstract

The robustness in real-world complex systems with dependency connectivities differs from that in isolated networks. Although most complex network research has focused on interdependent undirected systems, many real-world networks-such as gene regulatory networks and traffic networks-are directed. We thus develop an analytical framework for examining the robustness of networks made up of directed networks of differing topologies. We use it to predict the phase transitions that occur during node failures and to generate the phase diagrams of a number of different systems, including treelike and random regular (RR) networks of directed Erdős-Rényi (ER) networks and scale-free networks. We find that the the phase transition and phase diagram of networks of directed networks differ from those of networks of undirected networks. For example, the RR networks of directed ER networks show a hybrid phase transition that does not occur in networks of undirected ER networks. In addition, system robustness is affected by network topology in networks of directed networks. As coupling strength q increases, treelike networks of directed ER networks change from a second-order phase transition to a first-order phase transition, and RR networks of directed ER networks change from a second-order phase transition to a hybrid phase transition, then to a first-order phase transition, and finally to a region of collapse. We also find that heterogenous network systems are more robust than homogeneous network systems. We note that there are multiple phase transitions and triple points in the phase diagram of RR networks of directed networks and this helps us understand how to increase network robustness when designing interdependent infrastructure systems.