Interdependent networks are ubiquitous in our society, ranging from infrastructure to economics, and the study of their cascading behaviors using percolation theory has attracted much attention in the recent years. To analyze the percolation phenomena of these systems, different mathematical frameworks have been proposed including generating functions, eigenvalues among some others. These different frameworks approach the phase transition behaviors from different angles, and have been very successful in shaping the different quantities of interest including critical threshold, size of the giant component, order of phase transition and the dynamics of cascading. These methods also vary in their mathematical complexity in dealing with interdependent networks that have additional complexity in terms of the correlation among different layers of networks or links. In this work, we review a particular approach of simple self-consistent probability equations, and illustrate that it can greatly simplify the mathematical analysis for systems ranging from single layer network to various different interdependent networks. We give an overview on the detailed framework to study the nature of the critical phase transition, value of the critical threshold and size of the giant component for these different systems.
In many real network systems, nodes usually cooperate with each other and form groups, in order to enhance their robustness to risks. This motivates us to study a new type of percolation, group percolation, in interdependent networks under attacks. In this model, nodes belonging to the same group survive or fail together. We develop a theoretical framework for this novel group percolation and find that the formation of groups can improve the resilience of interdependent networks significantly. However, the percolation transition is always of first order, regardless of the distribution of group…
Two stochastic models are proposed to generate a system composed of two interdependent scale-free (SF) or Erdős-Rényi (ER) networks where interdependent nodes are connected with exponential or power-law relation, as well as different dependence strength, respectively. Each subnetwork grows through the addition of new nodes with constant accelerating random attachment in the first model but with preferential attachment in the second model. Two subnetworks interact with multi-support and undirectional dependence links. The effect of dependence relations and strength between subnetworks are analy…
Robustness of two coupled networks system has been studied only for dependency coupling (S. Buldyrev et. al., Nature, 2010) and only for connectivity coupling (E. A. Leicht and R. M. D'Souza, arxiv:09070894). Here we study, using a percolation approach, a more realistic coupled networks system where both interdependent and interconnected links exist. We find a rich and unusual phase transition phenomena including hybrid transition of mixed first and second order i.e., discontinuities like a first order transition of the giant component followed by a continuous decrease to zero like a second or…
The function of a real network depends not only on the reliability of its own components, but is affected also by the simultaneous operation of other real networks coupled with it. Robustness of systems composed of interdependent network layers has been extensively studied in recent years. However, the theoretical frameworks developed so far apply only to special models in the limit of infinite sizes. These methods are therefore of little help in practical contexts, given that real interconnected networks have finite size and their structures are generally not compatible with those of graph to…
Real data show that interdependent networks usually involve inter-similarity. Intersimilarity means that a pair of interdependent nodes have neighbors in both networks that are also interdependent (Parshani et al \cite{PAR10B}). For example, the coupled world wide port network and the global airport network are intersimilar since many pairs of linked nodes (neighboring cities), by direct flights and direct shipping lines exist in both networks. Nodes in both networks in the same city are regarded as interdependent. If two neighboring nodes in one network depend on neighboring nodes in the anot…
Network geometry has strong effects on network dynamics. In particular, the underlying hyperbolic geometry of discrete manifolds has recently been shown to affect their critical percolation properties. Here we investigate the properties of link percolation in non-amenable two-dimensional branching simplicial and cell complexes, i.e., simplicial and cell complexes in which the boundary scales like the volume. We establish the relation between the equations determining the percolation probability in random branching cell complexes and the equation for interdependent percolation in multiplex netw…
We propose an interdependent random geometric graph (RGG) model for interdependent networks. Based on this model, we study the robustness of two interdependent spatially embedded networks where interdependence exists between geographically nearby nodes in the two networks. We study the emergence of the giant mutual component in two interdependent RGGs as node densities increase, and define the percolation threshold as a pair of node densities above which the giant mutual component first appears. In contrast to the case for a single RGG, where the percolation threshold is a unique scalar for a …
In a system of interdependent networks, an initial failure of nodes invokes a cascade of iterative failures that may lead to a total collapse of the whole system in a form of an abrupt first order transition. When the fraction of initial failed nodes $1-p$ reaches criticality, $p=p_c$, the abrupt collapse occurs by spontaneous cascading failures. At this stage, the giant component decreases slowly in a plateau form and the number of iterations in the cascade, $τ$, diverges. The origin of this plateau and its increasing with the size of the system remained unclear. Here we find that simultaneou…
It was recently found that cascading failures can cause the abrupt breakdown of a system of interdependent networks. Using the percolation method developed for single clustered networks by Newman [Phys. Rev. Lett. {\bf 103}, 058701 (2009)], we develop an analytical method for studying how clustering within the networks of a system of interdependent networks affects the system's robustness. We find that clustering significantly increases the vulnerability of the system, which is represented by the increased value of the percolation threshold $p_c$ in interdependent networks.
The functionality of nodes in a network is often described by the structural feature of belonging to the giant component. However, when dealing with problems like transport, a more appropriate functionality criterion is for a node to belong to the network's backbone, where the flow of information and of other physical quantities (such as current) occurs. Here we study percolation in a model of interdependent resistor networks and show the effect of spatiality on their coupled functioning. We do this on a realistic model of spatial networks, featuring a Poisson distribution of link-lengths. We …
For interdependent networks with identity dependency map, percolation is exactly the same with that on a single network and follows a second-order phase transition, while for random dependency, percolation follows a first-order phase transition. In real networks, the dependency relations between networks are neither identical nor completely random. Thus in this paper, we study the influence of randomness for dependency maps on the robustness of interdependent lattice networks. We introduce approximate entropy($ApEn$) as the measure of randomness of the dependency maps. We find that there is cr…
The study of interdependent networks, and in particular the robustness on networks, has attracted considerable attention. Recent studies mainly assume that the dependence is fully interdependent. However, targeted attack for partially interdependent networks simultaneously has the characteristics of generality in real world. In this letter, the comprehensive percolation of generalized framework of partially interdependent networks under targeted attack is analyzed. As $α=0$ and $α=1$, the percolation law is presented. Especially, when $a=b=k$, $p_{1}=p_{2}=p$, $q_{A}=q_{B}=q$, the first and se…
We study a system composed from two interdependent networks A and B, where a fraction of the nodes in network A depends on the nodes of network B and a fraction of the nodes in network B depends on the nodes of network A. Due to the coupling between the networks when nodes in one network fail they cause dependent nodes in the other network to also fail. This invokes an iterative cascade of failures in both networks. When a critical fraction of nodes fail the iterative process results in a percolation phase transition that completely fragments both networks. We show both analytically and numeri…
Many interdependent, real-world infrastructures involve interconnections between different communities or cities. Here we study if and how the effects of such interconnections can be described as an external field for interdependent networks experiencing first-order percolation transitions. We find that the critical exponents $γ$ and $δ$, related to the external field can also be defined for first-order transitions but that they have different values than those found for second-order transitions. Surprisingly, we find that both sets of different exponents can be found even within a single mode…
Cascading failures in complex systems have been studied extensively using two different models: $k$-core percolation and interdependent networks. We combine the two models into a general model, solve it analytically and validate our theoretical results through extensive simulations. We also study the complete phase diagram of the percolation transition as we tune the average local $k$-core threshold and the coupling between networks. We find that the phase diagram of the combined processes is very rich and includes novel features that do not appear in the models studying each of the processes …
Recently much attention has been paid to the study of the robustness of interdependent and multiplex networks and, in particular, networks of networks. The robustness of interdependent networks can be evaluated by the size of a mutually connected component when a fraction of nodes have been removed from these networks. Here we characterize the emergence of the mutually connected component in a network of networks in which every node of a network (layer) $α$ is connected with $q_α$ randomly chosen replicas in some other networks and is interdependent of these nodes with probability $r$. We find…
Recently increasing attention has been addressed to the fluctuations observed in percolation defined in single and multiplex networks. These fluctuations are extremely important to characterize the robustness of real finite networks but cannot be captured by the traditionally adopted mean-field theory of percolation. Here we propose a theoretical framework and a message passing algorithm that is able to fully capture the large deviation of percolation in interdependent multiplex networks with a locally tree-like structure. This framework is here applied to study the robustness of single instan…
Many real-world networks are coupled together to maintain their normal functions. Here we study the robustness of multiplex networks with interdependent and interconnected links under k-core percolation, where a node fails when it connects to a threshold of less than k neighbors. By deriving the self-consistency equations, we solve the key quantities of interests such as the critical threshold and size of the giant component analytically and validate the theoretical results with numerical simulations. We find a rich phase transition phenomenon as we tune the inter-layer coupling strength. Spec…
In interdependent networks, it is usually assumed, based on percolation theory, that nodes become nonfunctional if they lose connection to the network giant component. However, in reality, some nodes, equipped with alternative resources, together with their connected neighbors can still be functioning once disconnected from the giant component. Here we propose and study a generalized percolation model that introduces a fraction of reinforced nodes in the interdependent networks that can function and support their neighborhood. We analyze, both analytically and via simulations, the order parame…
Interdependent networks have been shown to be extremely vulnerable based on the percolation model. Parshani et. al further indicated that the more inter-similar networks are, the more robust they are to random failure. Our understanding of how coupling patterns shape and impact the cascading failures of loads in interdependent networks is limited, but is essential for the design and optimization of the real-world interdependent networked systems. This question, however, is largely unexplored. In this paper, we address this question by investigating the robustness of interdependent ER random gr…
Percolation theory is an approach to study vulnerability of a system. We develop analytical framework and analyze percolation properties of a network composed of interdependent networks (NetONet). Typically, percolation of a single network shows that the damage in the network due to a failure is a continuous function of the fraction of failed nodes. In sharp contrast, in NetONet, due to the cascading failures, the percolation transition may be discontinuous and even a single node failure may lead to abrupt collapse of the system. We demonstrate our general framework for a NetONet composed of $…
We study the percolation behavior of two interdependent scale-free (SF) networks under random failure of 1-$p$ fraction of nodes. Our results are based on numerical solutions of analytical expressions and simulations. We find that as the coupling strength between the two networks $q$ reduces from 1 (fully coupled) to 0 (no coupling), there exist two critical coupling strengths $q_1$ and $q_2$, which separate three different regions with different behavior of the giant component as a function of $p$. (i) For $q \geq q_1$, an abrupt collapse transition occurs at $p=p_c$. (ii) For $q_2<q<q_1$, th…
We consider robustness and percolation properties of the networks of networks, in which random nodes in different individual networks (layers) can be interdependent. We explore the emergence of the giant mutually connected component, generalizing the percolation cluster in a single network to interdependent networks, and observe the strong effect of loops of interdependencies. In particular, we find that the giant mutual component does not emerge in a loop formed by any number of layers. In contrast, we observe multiple hybrid transitions in networks of networks formed by infinite number of ra…
Clustering, or transitivity has been observed in real networks and its effects on their structure and function has been discussed extensively. The focus of these studies has been on clustering of single networks while the effect of clustering on the robustness of coupled networks received very little attention. Only the case of a pair of fully coupled networks with clustering has been studied recently. Here we generalize the study of clustering of a fully coupled pair of networks to the study of partially interdependent network of networks with clustering within the network components. We show…
We study the mutual percolation of two interdependent lattice networks ranging from two to seven dimensions, denoted as $D$. We impose that the length of interdependent links connecting nodes in the two lattices be less than or equal to a certain value, $r$. For each value of $D$ and $r$, we find the mutual percolation threshold, $p_c[D,r]$ below which the system completely collapses through a cascade of failures following an initial destruction of a fraction $ (1-p)$ of the nodes in one of the lattices. We find that for each dimension, $D<6$, there is a value of $r=r_I>1$ such that for $r\geq…
When an initial failure of nodes occurs in interdependent networks, a cascade of failure between the networks occurs. Earlier studies focused on random initial failures. Here we study the robustness of interdependent networks under targeted attack on high or low degree nodes. We introduce a general technique and show that the {\it targeted-attack} problem in interdependent networks can be mapped to the {\it random-attack} problem in a transformed pair of interdependent networks. We find that when the highly connected nodes are protected and have lower probability to fail, in contrast to single…
Modern large network systems normally work in cooperation and incorporate dependencies between their components for purposes of efficiency and regulation. Such dependencies may become a major risk since they can cause small scale failures to propagate throughout the system. Thus, the dependent nodes could be a natural target for malicious attacks that aim to exploit these vulnerabilities. Here, we consider for the first time a new type of targeted attacks that are based on the dependency between the networks. We study strategies of attacks that range from dependency-first to dependency-last, w…
It was recently recognized that interdependencies among different networks can play a crucial role in triggering cascading failures and hence system-wide disasters. A recent model shows how pairs of interdependent networks can exhibit an abrupt percolation transition as failures accumulate. We report on the effects of topology on failure propagation for a model system consisting of two interdependent networks. We find that the internal node correlations in each of the two interdependent networks significantly changes the critical density of failures that triggers the total disruption of the tw…
In reality, many real-world networks interact with and depend on other networks. We develop an analytical framework for studying interacting networks and present an exact percolation law for a network of $n$ interdependent networks (NON). We present a general framework to study the dynamics of the cascading failures process at each step caused by an initial failure occurring in the NON system. We study and compare both $n$ coupled Erdős-Rényi (ER) graphs and $n$ coupled random regular (RR) graphs. We found recently [Gao et. al. arXive:1010.5829] that for an NON composed of $n$ ER networks each…
Recent studies show that in interdependent networks a very small failure in one network may lead to catastrophic consequences. Above a critical fraction of interdependent nodes, even a single node failure can invoke cascading failures that may abruptly fragment the system, while below this "critical dependency" (CD) a failure of few nodes leads only to small damage to the system. So far, the research has been focused on interdependent random networks without space limitations. However, many real systems, such as power grids and the Internet, are not random but are spatially embedded. Here we a…
Almost all network research has been focused on the properties of a single network that does not interact and depends on other networks. In reality, many real-world networks interact with other networks. Here we develop an analytical framework for studying interacting networks and present an exact percolation law for a network of $n$ interdependent networks. In particular, we find that for $n$ Erdős-Rényi networks each of average degree $k$, the giant component, $P_{\infty}$, is given by $P_{\infty}=p[1-\exp(-kP_{\infty})]^n$ where $1-p$ is the initial fraction of removed nodes. Our general re…
Interdependencies are ubiquitous throughout the world. Every real-world system interacts with and is dependent on other systems, and this interdependency affects their performance. In particular, interdependencies among networks make them vulnerable to failure cascades, the effects of which are often catastrophic. Failure propagation fragments network components, disconnects them, and may cause complete systemic failure. We propose a strategy of avoiding or at least mitigating the complete destruction of a system of interdependent networks experiencing a failure cascade. Starting with a fracti…
We study the cascading failures in a system composed of two interdependent square lattice networks A and B placed on the same Cartesian plane, where each node in network A depends on a node in network B randomly chosen within a certain distance $r$ from the corresponding node in network A and vice versa. Our results suggest that percolation for small $r$ below $r_{\rm max}\approx 8$ (lattice units) is a second-order transition, and for larger $r$ is a first-order transition. For $r<r_{\rm max}$, the critical threshold increases linearly with $r$ from 0.593 at $r=0$ and reaches a maximum, 0.738…
We study the mutual percolation of a system composed of two interdependent random regular networks. We introduce a notion of distance to explore the effects of the proximity of interdependent nodes on the cascade of failures after an initial attack. We find a non-trivial relation between the nature of the transition through which the networks disintegrate and the parameters of the system, which are the degree of the nodes and the maximum distance between interdependent nodes. We explain this relation by solving the problem analytically for the relevant set of cases.
Hybrid percolation transitions (HPTs) induced by cascading processes have been observed in diverse complex systems such as $k$-core percolation, breakdown on interdependent networks and cooperative epidemic spreading models. Much effort has been devoted to describe the properties of HPTs of individual systems. Yet the fundamental question about the possible universal mechanism underlying those HPTs has not been investigated at a microscopic level. Here, we find that the discontinuity in the order parameter in such HPTs results from two steps: a durable critical branching (CB) and an explosive,…
Many infrastructure networks have a modular structure and are also interdependent. While significant research has explored the resilience of interdependent networks, there has been no analysis of the effects of modularity. Here we develop a theoretical framework for attacks on interdependent modular networks and support our results by simulations. We focus on the case where each network has the same number of communities and the dependency links are restricted to be between pairs of communities of different networks. This is very realistic for infrastructure across cities. Each city has its ow…
Much work has been devoted to studying percolation of networks and interdependent networks under varying levels of failures. Researchers have considered many different realistic network structures, but thus far no study has incorporated the hierarchical structure of many networks. For example, infrastructure across cities will likely be distributed such that nodes are tightly connected within small neighborhoods, somewhat less connected across the whole city, and have even fewer connections between cities. Furthermore, while previous work identified interconnected nodes, those nodes with links…
From transportation networks to complex infrastructures, and to social and communication networks, a large variety of systems can be described in terms of multiplexes formed by a set of nodes interacting through different networks (layers). Multiplexes may display an increased fragility with respect to the single layers that constitute them. However, so far the overlap of the links in different layers has been mostly neglected, despite the fact that it is an ubiquitous phenomenon in most multiplexes. Here we show that the overlap among layers can improve the robustness of interdependent multip…
Recently, new results on percolation of interdependent networks have shown that the percolation transition can be first order. In this paper we show that, when considering antagonistic interactions between interacting networks, the percolation process might present a bistability of the equilibrium solution. To this end, we introduce antagonistic interactions for which the functionality, or activity, of a node in a network is incompatible with the functionality, of the linked nodes in the other interacting networks. In particular, we study the percolation transition in two interacting networks …
The type of malicious attack inflicting on networks greatly influences their stability under ordinary percolation in which a node fails when it becomes disconnected from the giant component. Here we study its generalization, $k$-core percolation, in which a node fails when it loses connection to a threshold $k$ number of neighbors. We study and compare analytically and by numerical simulations of $k$-core percolation the stability of networks under random attacks (RA), localized attacks (LA) and targeted attacks (TA), respectively. By mapping a network under LA or TA into an equivalent network…
Determining design principles that boost robustness of interdependent networks is a fundamental question of engineering, economics, and biology. It is known that maximizing the degree correlation between replicas of the same node leads to optimal robustness. Here we show that increased robustness might also come at the expense of introducing multiple phase transitions. These results reveal yet another possible source of fragility of multiplex networks that has to be taken into the account during network optimisation and design.
Higher order interactions are increasingly recognised as a fundamental aspect of complex systems ranging from the brain to social contact networks. Hypergraph as well as simplicial complexes capture the higher-order interactions of complex systems and allow to investigate the relation between their higher-order structure and their function. Here we establish a general framework for assessing hypergraph robustness and we characterize the critical properties of simple and higher-order percolation processes. This general framework builds on the formulation of the random multiplex hypergraph ensem…
Recent work in the area of interdependent networks has focused on interactions between two systems of the same type. However, an important and ubiquitous class of systems are those involving monitoring and control, an example of interdependence between processes that are very different. In this Article, we introduce a framework for modelling distributed supervisory control in the guise of an electrical network supervised by a distributed system of control devices. The system is characterised by degrees of freedom salient to real-world systems--- namely, the number of control devices, their inh…
We present a comprehensive and versatile theoretical framework to study site and bond percolation on clustered and correlated random graphs. Our contribution can be summarized in three main points. (i) We introduce a set of iterative equations that solve the exact distribution of the size and composition of components in finite size quenched or random multitype graphs. (ii) We define a very general random graph ensemble that encompasses most of the models published to this day, and also that permits to model structural properties not yet included in a theoretical framework. Site and bond perco…
Multilayer infrastructure is often interdependent, with nodes in one layer depending on nearby nodes in another layer to function. The links in each layer are often of limited length, due to the construction cost of longer links. Here, we model such systems as a multiplex network composed of two or more layers, each with links of characteristic geographic length, embedded in 2-dimensional space. This is equivalent to a system of interdependent spatially embedded networks in two dimensions in which the connectivity links are constrained in length but varied while the length of the dependency li…
A model of interdependent networks of networks (NoN) has been introduced recently in the context of brain activation to identify the neural collective influencers in the brain NoN. Here we develop a new approach to derive an exact expression for the random percolation transition in Erdös-Rényi NoN. Analytical calculations are in excellent agreement with numerical simulations and highlight the robustness of the NoN against random node failures. Interestingly, the phase diagram of the model unveils particular patterns of interconnectivity for which the NoN is most vulnerable. Our results help to…
We present analytic and numeric results for percolation in a network formed of interdependent spatially embedded networks. We show results for a treelike and a random regular network of networks each with $(i)$ unconstrained interdependent links and $(ii)$ interdependent links restricted to a maximum length, $r$. Analytic results are given for each network of networks with unconstrained dependency links and compared with simulations. For the case of two spatially embedded networks it was found that only for $r>r_c\approx8$ does the system undergo a first order phase transition. We find that fo…
Many man-made networks support each other to provide efficient services and resources to the customers, despite that this support produces a strong interdependency between the individual networks. Thus an initial failure of a fraction $1-p$ of nodes in one network, exposes the system to cascade of failures and, as a consequence, to a full collapse of the overall system. Therefore it is important to develop efficient strategies to avoid the collapse by increasing the robustness of the individual networks against failures. Here, we provide an exact theoretical approach to study the evolution of …
The self-consistent probabilistic approach has proven itself powerful in studying the percolation behavior of interdependent or multiplex networks without tracking the percolation process through each cascading step. In order to understand how directed dependency links impact criticality, we employ this approach to study the percolation properties of networks with both undirected connectivity links and directed dependency links. We find that when a random network with a given degree distribution undergoes a second-order phase transition, the critical point and the unstable regime surrounding t…
Drawing inspiration from real world interacting systems we study a system consisting of two networks that exhibit antagonistic and dependent interactions. By antagonistic and dependent interactions, we mean, that a proportion of functional nodes in a network cause failure of nodes in the other, while failure of nodes in the other results in failure of links in the first. As opposed to interdependent networks, which can exhibit first order phase transitions, we find that the phase transitions in such networks are continuous. Our analysis shows that, compared to an isolated network, the system i…
Robustness and cascading failures in interdependent systems has been an active research field in the past decade. However, most existing works use percolation-based models where only the largest component of each network remains functional throughout the cascade. Although suitable for communication networks, this assumption fails to capture the dependencies in systems carrying a flow (e.g., power systems, road transportation networks), where cascading failures are often triggered by redistribution of flows leading to overloading of lines. Here, we consider a model consisting of systems $A$ and…
Infrastructure systems, such as power, transportation, telecommunication, and water systems, are composed of multiple components which are interconnected and interdependent to produce and distribute essential goods and services. So, the robustness of infrastructure systems to resist disturbances is crucial for the durable performance of modern societies. Multilayer networks have been used to model the multiplicity and interrelation of infrastructure systems and percolation theory is the most common approach to quantify the robustness of such networks. This survey systematically reviews literat…
In this paper we study the Motter-Lai model of cascading failures induced by overloads in both isotropic and anisotropic spatial networks, generated by placing nodes in a square lattice and using various distributions of link lengths and angles. Anisotropy has not been earlier considered in the Motter-Lai model and is a real feature that may affect the cascading failures. This could reflect the existence of a preferred direction in which a given attribute of the system manifests, such as power lines that follow a city built parallel to the coast. We show that the anisotropy causes a greater sp…
