Open AccessCharacterization of real-world networks through quantum potentials
Author(s) -
Nicola Amoroso,
Loredana Bellantuono,
Saverio Pascazio,
A. Monaco,
R. Bellotti
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
plos one
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.99
H-Index - 332
ISSN - 1932-6203
DOI - 10.1371/journal.pone.0254384
Subject(s) - benchmark (surveying) , complex network , computer science , statistical physics , eigenvalues and eigenvectors , quantum , laplace operator , small world network , network science , topology (electrical circuits) , artificial intelligence , theoretical computer science , physics , mathematics , quantum mechanics , cartography , combinatorics , world wide web , geography
Network connectivity has been thoroughly investigated in several domains, including physics, neuroscience, and social sciences. This work tackles the possibility of characterizing the topological properties of real-world networks from a quantum-inspired perspective. Starting from the normalized Laplacian of a network, we use a well-defined procedure, based on the dressing transformations, to derive a 1-dimensional Schrödinger-like equation characterized by the same eigenvalues. We investigate the shape and properties of the potential appearing in this equation in simulated small-world and scale-free network ensembles, using measures of fractality. Besides, we employ the proposed framework to compare real-world networks with the Erdős-Rényi, Watts-Strogatz and Barabási-Albert benchmark models. Reconstructed potentials allow to assess to which extent real-world networks approach these models, providing further insight on their formation mechanisms and connectivity properties.