Rearranging trees for robust consensus

In this paper, we use the H2 norm associated with a communication graph to characterize the robustness of consensus to noise. In particular, we restrict our attention to trees and by systematic attention to the effect of local changes in topology, we derive a partial ordering for undirected trees according to the H2 norm. Our approach for undirected trees provides a constructive method for deriving an ordering for directed trees. Further, our approach suggests a decentralized manner in which trees can be rearranged in order to improve their robustness.Comment: Submitted to CDC 201

The algebraic connectivity of lollipop graphs

AbstractLet Cn,g be the lollipop graph obtained by appending a g-cycle Cg to a pendant vertex of a path on n-g vertices. In 2002, Fallat, Kirkland and Pati proved that for n⩾3g-12 and g⩾4, α(Cn,g)>α(Cn,g-1). In this paper, we prove that for g⩾4, α(Cn,g)>α(Cn,g-1) for all n, where α(Cn,g) is the algebraic connectivity of Cn,g

Trees with a large Laplacian eigenvalue multiplicity

In this paper, we study the multiplicity of the Laplacian eigenvalues of trees. It is known that for trees, integer Laplacian eigenvalues larger than $1$ are simple and also the multiplicity of Laplacian eigenvalue $1$ has been well studied before. Here we consider the multiplicities of the other (non-integral) Laplacian eigenvalues. We give an upper bound and determine the trees of order $n$ that have a multiplicity that is close to the upper bound $\frac{n-3}{2}$, and emphasize the particular role of the algebraic connectivity.Comment: 11 pages, 5 figure

Combinatorial Perron parameters for trees

The notion of combinatorial Perron value was introduced in [2]. We continue the study of this parameter and also introduce a new parameter πe(M) which gives a new lower bound on the spectral radius of the bottleneck matrix M of a rooted tree. We prove a bound on the approximation error for πe(M). Several properties of these two parameters are shown. These ideas are motivated by the concept of algebraic connectivity. A certain extension property for the combinatorial Perron value is shown and it allows us to define a new center concept for caterpillars. We also compare computationally this new center to the so-called characteristic set, i.e., the center obtained from algebraic connectivity.publishe

Improved fault-tolerant PMU placement using algebraic connectivity of graphs

Due to perpetual and innovative technological advancements, the need for reliable and stable power generation and transmission has been increasing dramatically over the years. Smart grids use advanced technologies to provide self-monitoring, self-checking and self-healing power networks, including smart metering devices capable of providing accurate measurements of the network’s power components. Among the most important metering devices in this context are “Phasor Measurement Units (PMUs)â€. PMUs are metering devices that provide synchronized measurements of voltage, current and phase angle differences using signals from the GPS satellites. However, due to the high cost of such advanced metering devices, studies were performed to determine the minimum number of PMUs required and their strategic placements in the power networks to provide full system observability. In this thesis, we consider fault-tolerant PMU placement aiming to minimize the number of PMUs while maintaining system observability under various contingencies. Conventionally, the optimal number of PMUs in a system is determined based on the system’s connectivity matrix under no contingency. This thesis considers fault- tolerant PMU placement under single and double branch failures. We propose algebraic connectivity, or Fiedler value, to identify the worst- case branch failures in terms of connectivity degradation. The proposed PMU placement accounts for this worst-case and covers a large percentage of other single and double branch failures. Furthermore, we propose the usage of Fiedler vector to provide a PMU placement that would ensure that the system remains fully observable during system partitioning into separate sub-systems. The resulting placements are compared with those obtained without considering connectivity degradation or system partitioning in terms of the percentages of observable systems during any single and double branch failures. The proposed PMU placements have increased percentages of fully observable systems in the event of any single or double branch failures compared to non—contingency based placement, with a reasonable increase in number of PMUs, and for some placement approaches no increase in PMUs is needed for providing a higher percentage of fully observable systems

Improved fault-tolerant PMU placement using algebraic connectivity of graphs

Due to perpetual and innovative technological advancements, the need for reliable and stable power generation and transmission has been increasing dramatically over the years. Smart grids use advanced technologies to provide self-monitoring, self-checking and self-healing power networks, including smart metering devices capable of providing accurate measurements of the network\u27s power components. Among the most important metering devices in this context are Phasor Measurement Units (PMUs) . PMUs are metering devices that provide synchronized measurements of voltage, current and phase angle differences using signals from the GPS satellites. However, due to the high cost of such advanced metering devices, studies were performed to determine the minimum number of PMUs required and their strategic placements in the power networks to provide full system observability. In this thesis, we consider fault-tolerant PMU placement aiming to minimize the number of PMUs while maintaining system observability under various contingencies. Conventionally, the optimal number of PMUs in a system is determined based on the system\u27s connectivity matrix under no contingency. This thesis considers fault- tolerant PMU placement under single and double branch failures. We propose algebraic connectivity, or Fiedler value, to identify the worst- case branch failures in terms of connectivity degradation. The proposed PMU placement accounts for this worst-case and covers a large percentage of other single and double branch failures. Furthermore, we propose the usage of Fiedler vector to provide a PMU placement that would ensure that the system remains fully observable during system partitioning into separate sub-systems. The resulting placements are compared with those obtained without considering connectivity degradation or system partitioning in terms of the percentages of observable systems during any single and double branch failures. The proposed PMU placements have increased percentages of fully observable systems in the event of any single or double branch failures compared to non—contingency based placement, with a reasonable increase in number of PMUs, and for some placement approaches no increase in PMUs is needed for providing a higher percentage of fully observable systems

Valor de Perron combinatório de árvores

Apresentamos o valor de Perron combinatório de árvores, definido por Andrade e Dahl [4]. Este novo parâmetro é uma cota inferior para o valor de Perron e pode ser calculado diretamente da árvore, sem a necessidade do cálculo do espectro. Exibimos resultados de Kirkland et al. [15] que mostram como a conectividade algébrica de uma árvore pode ser obtida através do valor de Perron. Mostramos que o valor de Perron combinatório é uma boa aproximação para o valor de Perron da estrela e do caminho, conforme afirmado em [4]. Além disso, apresentamos resultados de experimentos computacionais realizados para investigar a qualidade da aproximação do valor de Perron pelo valor de Perron combinatório para árvores com até 14 vértices. Também investigamos a possibilidade de utilizar o valor de Perron combinatório para o ordenamento de árvores de diâmetro 3.We present the combinatorial Perron value of trees, defined by Andrade and Dahl [4]. This new parameter is a lower bound to the Perron value and it can be computed directly from tree, without the need of spectrum calculation. We exhibit results from Kirkland et al. [15] that show how the the algebraic connectivity of a tree can be obtained through the Perron value. We prove that the combinatorial Perron value is a good approximation to the Perron value of the star and of the path, according to [4]. Besides we present results from computational experiments executed to investigate the quality of the approximation of the Perron value by the combinatorial Perron value for trees with up to 14 vertices. We also investigate the possibility of using the combinatorial Perron value for ordering trees of diameter 3