Entrograms and coarse graining of dynamics on complex networks

Using an information theoretic point of view, we investigate how a dynamics acting on a network can be coarse grained through the use of graph partitions. Specifically, we are interested in how aggregating the state space of a Markov process according to a partition impacts on the thus obtained lower-dimensional dynamics. We highlight that for a dynamics on a particular graph there may be multiple coarse grained descriptions that capture different, incomparable features of the original process. For instance, a coarse graining induced by one partition may be commensurate with a time-scale separation in the dynamics, while another coarse graining may correspond to a different lower-dimensional dynamics that preserves the Markov property of the original process. Taking inspiration from the literature of Computational Mechanics, we find that a convenient tool to summarise and visualise such dynamical properties of a coarse grained model (partition) is the entrogram. The entrogram gathers certain information-theoretic measures, which quantify how information flows across time steps. These information theoretic quantities include the entropy rate, as well as a measure for the memory contained in the process, i.e., how well the dynamics can be approximated by a first order Markov process. We use the entrogram to investigate how specific macro-scale connection patterns in the state-space transition graph of the original dynamics result in desirable properties of coarse grained descriptions. We thereby provide a fresh perspective on the interplay between structure and dynamics in networks, and the process of partitioning from an information theoretic perspective. We focus on networks that may be approximated by both a core-periphery or a clustered organization, and highlight that each of these coarse grained descriptions can capture different aspects of a Markov process acting on the network.Comment: 17 pages, 6 figue

Structural transition in interdependent networks with regular interconnections

Networks are often made up of several layers that exhibit diverse degrees of interdependencies. A multilayer interdependent network consists of a set of graphs $G$ that are interconnected through a weighted interconnection matrix $B$, where the weight of each inter-graph link is a non-negative real number $p$. Various dynamical processes, such as synchronization, cascading failures in power grids, and diffusion processes, are described by the Laplacian matrix $Q$ characterizing the whole system. For the case in which the multilayer graph is a multiplex, where the number of nodes in each layer is the same and the interconnection matrix $B=pI$, being $I$ the identity matrix, it has been shown that there exists a structural transition at some critical coupling, $p^*$. This transition is such that dynamical processes are separated into two regimes: if $p > p^*$, the network acts as a whole; whereas when $p<p^*$, the network operates as if the graphs encoding the layers were isolated. In this paper, we extend and generalize the structural transition threshold $p^*$ to a regular interconnection matrix $B$ (constant row and column sum). Specifically, we provide upper and lower bounds for the transition threshold $p^*$ in interdependent networks with a regular interconnection matrix $B$ and derive the exact transition threshold for special scenarios using the formalism of quotient graphs. Additionally, we discuss the physical meaning of the transition threshold $p^*$ in terms of the minimum cut and show, through a counter-example, that the structural transition does not always exist. Our results are one step forward on the characterization of more realistic multilayer networks and might be relevant for systems that deviate from the topological constrains imposed by multiplex networks.Comment: 13 pages, APS format. Submitted for publicatio

Entrograms and coarse graining of dynamics on complex networks

Using an information theoretic point of view, we investigate how a dynamics acting on a network can be coarse grained through the use of graph partitions. Specifically, we are interested in how aggregating the state space of a Markov process according to a partition impacts on the thus obtained lower-dimensional dynamics. We highlight that for a dynamics on a particular graph there may be multiple coarse grained descriptions that capture different, incomparable features of the original process. For instance, a coarse graining induced by one partition may be commensurate with a time-scale separation in the dynamics, while another coarse graining may correspond to a different lower-dimensional dynamics that preserves the Markov property of the original process. Taking inspiration from the literature of Computational Mechanics, we find that a convenient tool to summarize and visualize such dynamical properties of a coarse grained model (partition) is the entrogram. The entrogram gathers certain information-theoretic measures, which quantify how information flows across time steps. These information theoretic quantities include the entropy rate, as well as a measure for the memory contained in the process, i.e., how well the dynamics can be approximated by a first order Markov process. We use the entrogram to investigate how specific macro-scale connection patterns in the state–space transition graph of the original dynamics result in desirable properties of coarse grained descriptions. We thereby provide a fresh perspective on the interplay between structure and dynamics in networks, and the process of partitioning a network from an information theoretic perspective. To illustrate our points, we focus on networks that may be approximated by both a core-periphery or a clustered organization, and highlight that each of these coarse grained descriptions can capture different aspects of a Markov process acting on the network