Complex first-passage transport in ring networks with long-range jumps and stochastic resetting

TL;DR

This paper analyzes how long-range shortcuts and stochastic resetting influence transport efficiency in ring networks, revealing complex non-monotonic behaviors and hierarchical patterns in mean first-passage times.

Contribution

It provides explicit spectral-based expressions for transport metrics and uncovers non-intuitive, self-similar MFPT patterns caused by shortcut length and resetting effects.

Findings

MFPT shows non-monotonic dependence on shortcut length.

Hierarchical maxima and minima in MFPT related to system size.

Resetting amplifies oscillatory MFPT and creates nonuniform stationary states.

Abstract

The transport properties of discrete-time random walks on ring networks with deterministic shortcuts are investigated through analytical and numerical methods. The network consists of a periodic chain where each node is connected to its nearest neighbors and to nodes located at a fixed distance $r$. Using the spectral properties of the transition matrix, we derive explicit expressions for the occupation probabilities and mean first-passage times (MFPTs). Contrary to the common expectation that shortcuts monotonically enhance transport, we find that the MFPT between distant nodes develops a highly non-monotonic dependence on the shortcut length. Beyond a threshold value, the MFPT landscape exhibits a hierarchy of maxima and minima organized in a self-similar pattern associated with commensurability relations between the shortcut length and the system size. The scaling behavior of these extrema reveals regimes where transport efficiency is either strongly enhanced or suppressed. We further analyze the mean squared displacement and the influence of stochastic resetting, showing that resetting amplifies the oscillatory MFPT structure and induces strongly nonuniform stationary distributions. These results demonstrate that the spatial organization of long-range connections plays a crucial role in determining transport efficiency in networks.