- Effect of modularity on local and global synchronization in complex networks
- Project Year:
2017
- REU Student (s):
Kayla Cummings | Pomona College
- Student 1 Institution:
Pomona College
- Project Mentor:
Lazaros Gallos
- Project Mentor Area:
DIMACS
- Project Abstract:
Network science recasts real-life systems as graphs to study diverse dynamical processes in technological,
biological, and physical contexts. More specifically, heterogeneous network structure leads to
novel phenomena during synchronization. A network's transition from disorder to coherence can present
different forms depending on specific network properties. Modularity in particular can strongly influence
the outcome of a synchronization process. This work investigates the effect of modularity on synchronization.
I show that the degree of modularity may severely delay global synchronization even though
local order emerges after a stable coupling strength threshold. As a result, measurements of global synchronization
may be misleading when evaluating coherence in modular networks. These results can be
useful for studying the propagation over time of ideas, disease, or information since social, biological,
and communication networks often have modular properties.
