Universal behavior of cascading failures in interdependent networks

Abstract

Catastrophic and major disasters in real-world systems, such as blackouts in power grids or global failures in critical infrastructures, are often triggered by minor events which originate a cascading failure in interdependent graphs. We present here a self-consistent theory enabling the systematic analysis of cascading failures in such networks and encompassing a broad range of dynamical systems, from epidemic spreading, to birth–death processes, to biochemical and regulatory dynamics. We offer testable predictions on breakdown scenarios, and, in particular, we unveil the conditions under which the percolation transition is of the first-order or the second-order type, as well as prove that accounting for dynamics in the nodes always accelerates the cascading process. Besides applying directly to relevant real-world situations, our results give practical hints on how to engineer more robust networked systems.

Recovery patterns and physics of the network

“…This is achieved through an integrated study of networks with different topological patterns and sizes in the face of attacks, which drastically compromise the performance of networks by demolishing a set of links or the total network. This knowledge is needed to determine better techniques to avoid cascading failures and improve the dissemination of demand through the network [ 37 , 38 ]. The research objectives to help achieve our overarching goal are (1) gain a fundamental understanding of the recovery response of networks with different size and topology, (2) quantify the relationship between recoverability and network topology characteristics, and (3) determine how the evolving behavior of networks influences the recovery response and recoverability of networks.…”

Introducing participatory fairness in emergency communication can support self-organization for survival

“…We are living in a world in which the frequency and severity of natural disasters—causing deaths and displacements—are steadily increasing 2 . This is also because of tipping points 3 and cascading effects 4 , 5 in complex anthropogenic systems 6 . The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the Nepal earthquake, and the Indian Ocean tsunami has shown that delays in rescue operations lead to the loss of additional human lives 1 .…”

Structural Vulnerability Analysis of Partially Interdependent Networks: The Joint Influence of Interdependence and Local Worlds

“…Hence, understanding the vulnerability of interdependent systems is of vital importance [29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37]. Attack vulnerability is regarded as one fundamental problem in many artificial and real-world interdependent networks, which has attracted extensive attention in the academic communities [38][39][40][41][42].…”