Constructing maps of complex networks

Kollokvium i fysik ved Jesper Bruun, videnskabelig assistent på IND

Abstract:

A complex network consists of a set of nodes connected with a set of links in a non-trivial way. Food chain, the world wide web, the internet citation networks, linguistic networks, and social networks are examples of complex networks, and they can be modelled using the ideas of statistical mechanics. 

In many networks, information can travel from node to node via the links. This flow of information is constrained by the structure of the network. When working with networks it is advantageous to create meaningful overviews of the network, highlighting important structures, whilst omitting superfluous detail.

These overviews can be regarded as maps of the network. In this quolloqium I discuss a mapping strategy, which uses the trajectory of a random walker on the network to divide the network into large, important structures. The method is illustrated through maps of science communication, and an idea of how to use the method in linguistic networks (eg. networks of words in a text), is presented.