Controllability of complex networks

Yang Yu Liu, Jean Jacques Slotine, Albert László Barabási*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract (may include machine translation)

The ultimate proof of our understanding of natural or technological systems is reflected in our ability to control them. Although control theory offers mathematical tools for steering engineered and natural systems towards a desired state, a framework to control complex self-organized systems is lacking. Here we develop analytical tools to study the controllability of an arbitrary complex directed network, identifying the set of driver nodes with time-dependent control that can guide the systemg-s entire dynamics. We apply these tools to several real networks, finding that the number of driver nodes is determined mainly by the networkĝ€™s degree distribution. We show that sparse inhomogeneous networks, which emerge in many real complex systems, are the most difficult to control, but that dense and homogeneous networks can be controlled using a few driver nodes. Counterintuitively, we find that in both model and real systems the driver nodes tend to avoid the high-degree nodes.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)167-173
Number of pages7
JournalNature
Volume473
Issue number7346
DOIs
StatePublished - 12 May 2011
Externally publishedYes

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