Critical behavior of rumor propagation on random networks of cliques

Authors

  • Lucas A. Sobehart Centro Atómico Bariloche and Instituto Balseiro, Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica and Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, Av. Ezequiel Bustillo 9500, 8400 San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina
  • Damián H. Zanette Centro Atómico Bariloche and Instituto Balseiro, Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica and Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, Av. Ezequiel Bustillo 9500, 8400 San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.4279/pip.160003

Keywords:

contact processes, critical phenomena, finite-size scaling, rumor propagation, random network of cliques

Abstract

We disclose a critical phenomenon induced by structural properties of the contact pattern in a stylized model of rumor propagation over a population of agents. The contact pattern is given by a random network of cliques, formed by fully interconnected groups of nodes of identical size with randomly distributed connections between groups. As demonstrated numerically using finite-size scaling analysis, the process exhibits a critical transition between a regime where the rumor remains confined to a negligible part of the population and a regime where it attains a finite portion of the system. We determine the critical point and the critical exponent of the transition for different clique sizes. The phenomenon is analogous to that observed for the same kind of process in Watts-Strogatz small-world networks, and is likely due to the combination of large clustering and short mean geodesic distances that also characterizes random networks of cliques.

Mean final fraction of recovered nodes ⟨n R ⟩ as a function of the number of cliques Q, for different values of the density of inter-clique links γ. The bold segment, with slope 0.55, signals the transition between two different behaviors for large Q. For smaller and large γ, ⟨n R ⟩ approaches zero and a positive constant, respectively

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Published

2024-12-10

How to Cite

Sobehart, L. A., & Zanette, D. H. (2024). Critical behavior of rumor propagation on random networks of cliques. Papers in Physics, 16, 160003. https://doi.org/10.4279/pip.160003

Issue

Section

Traditional Review Articles