Evolution of robust network topologies: Emergence of central backbones

TL;DR

This paper models large-scale networks to identify the most robust topology against failures, revealing that a core-periphery structure with a central backbone maximizes resilience, which likely emerges through evolutionary processes.

Contribution

It introduces a general block-based network model and demonstrates that a core-periphery topology optimizes robustness against failures.

Findings

Core-periphery structure is most robust against failures.

Central backbone nodes are crucial for network resilience.

Robust topology persists under various constraints.

Abstract

We model the robustness against random failure or intentional attack of networks with arbitrary large-scale structure. We construct a block-based model which incorporates --- in a general fashion --- both connectivity and interdependence links, as well as arbitrary degree distributions and block correlations. By optimizing the percolation properties of this general class of networks, we identify a simple core-periphery structure as the topology most robust against random failure. In such networks, a distinct and small "core" of nodes with higher degree is responsible for most of the connectivity, functioning as a central "backbone" of the system. This centralized topology remains the optimal structure when other constraints are imposed, such as a given fraction of interdependence links and fixed degree distributions. This distinguishes simple centralized topologies as the most likely to emerge, when robustness against failure is the dominant evolutionary force.