Error and Attack Tolerance of Layered Complex Networks

Abstract

Many complex systems may be described not by one, but by a number of complex networks mapped one on the other in a multilayer structure. The interactions and dependencies between these layers cause that what is true for a distinct single layer does not necessarily reflect well the state of the entire system. In this paper we study the robustness of three real-life examples of two-layer complex systems that come from the fields of communication (the Internet), transportation (the European railway system) and biology (the human brain). In order to cover the whole range of features specific to these systems, we focus on two extreme policies of system's response to failures, no rerouting and full rerouting. Our main finding is that multilayer systems are much more vulnerable to errors and intentional attacks than they seem to be from a single layer perspective.

5 pages, 3 figures

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• Cavity analysis on the robustness of random networks against targeted attacks: Influences of degree-degree correlations
• Interconnecting bilayer networks
• A Multilayer Model of Computer Networks
• How to design multi-target drugs: Target search options in cellular networks
• Fragmentation properties of two-dimensional Proximity Graphs considering random failures and targeted attacks
• Temporal Correlations of Local Network Losses