Contagion spreading on complex networks with local deterministic dynamics

Abstract

Typically, contagion strength is modeled by a transmission rate $\lambda$, whereby all nodes in a network are treated uniformly in a mean-field approximation. However, local agents react differently to the same contagion based on their local characteristics. Following our recent work [EPL \textbf{99}, 58002 (2012)], we investigate contagion spreading models with local dynamics on complex networks. We therefore quantify contagions by their quality, $0 \leq \alpha \leq 1$, and follow their spreading as their transmission condition (fitness) is evaluated by local agents. We choose various deterministic local rules. Initial spreading with exponential quality-dependent time scales is followed by a stationary state with a prevalence depending on the quality of the contagion. We also observe various interesting phenomena, for example, high prevalence without the participation of the hubs. This is in sharp contrast with the general belief that hubs play a central role in a typical spreading process. We further study the role of network topology in various models and find that as long as small-world effect exists, the underlying topology does not contribute to the final stationary state but only affects the initial spreading velocity.Comment: 18 pages, 6 figures, to appea