The Influence of a Network’s Spatial Symmetry, Topological Dimension, and Density on Its Percolation Threshold

Abstract

Analyses of the processes of information transfer within network structures shows that the conductivity and percolation threshold of the network depend not only on its density (average number of links per node), but also on its spatial symmetry groups and topological dimension. The results presented in this paper regarding conductivity simulation in network structures show that, for regular and random 2D and 3D networks, an increase in the number of links (density) per node reduces their percolation threshold value. At the same network density, the percolation threshold value is less for 3D than for 2D networks, whatever their structure and symmetry may be. Regardless of the type of networks and their symmetry, transition from 2D to 3D structures engenders a change of percolation threshold by a value exp{−(d − 1)} that is invariant for transition between structures, for any kind of network (d being topological dimension). It is observed that in 2D or 3D networks, which can be mutually transformed by deformation without breaking and forming new links, symmetry of similarity is observed, and the networks have the same percolation threshold. The presence of symmetry axes and corresponding number of symmetry planes in which they lie affects the percolation threshold value. For transition between orders of symmetry axes, in the presence of the corresponding planes of symmetry, an invariant exists which contributes to the percolation threshold value. Inversion centers also influence the value of the percolation threshold. Moreover, the greater the number of pairs of elements of the structure which have inversion, the more they contribute to the fraction of the percolation threshold in the presence of such a center of symmetry. However, if the center of symmetry lies in the plane of mirror symmetry separating the layers of the 3D structure, the mutual presence of this group of symmetry elements do not affect the percolation threshold value. The scientific novelty of the obtained results is that for different network structures, it was shown that the percolation threshold for the blocking of nodes problem could be represented as an additive set of invariant values, that is, as an algebraic sum, the value of the members of which is stored in the transition from one structure to another. The invariant values are network density, topological dimension, and some of the elements of symmetry (axes of symmetry and the corresponding number of symmetry planes in which they lie, centers of inversion).