Consensus analysis of chain star networks coupled by leaf nodes

Abstract

Coupled star networks coupled by hub nodes have attracted significant interest due to the interplay between their coupling forms and dynamics. This paper introduces a novel family of chain star networks that are connected via a small number of leaf nodes. The coherence of these star networks is quantified using the Laplacian spectrum. By leveraging the network structures, we calculate the characteristic polynomial of the Laplacian matrix and obtain an exact solution for network coherence in relation to network parameters. In addition, we explore the robustness of network coherence against variations in network parameters. Furthermore, we compare the coherence performance of coupled star networks across different coupling forms. Our findings demonstrate that the networks coupled by leaf nodes exhibit better coherence.