Mapping the Structure of Directed Networks: Beyond the "Bow-tie" Diagram

Abstract

We reveal a hierarchical, multilayer organization of finite components -- i.e., tendrils and tubes -- around the giant connected components in directed networks and propose efficient algorithms allowing one to uncover the entire organization of key real-world directed networks, such as the World Wide Web, the neural network of \emph{Caenorhabditis elegans}, and others. With increasing damage, the giant components decrease in size while the number and size of tendril layers increase, enhancing the susceptibility of the networks to damage.