Complex network topological and spectral determinants of extreme events

Abstract

We study the impact of the coupling topology on the ability of various networked dynamical systems to generate extreme events. By determining the coupling strength that is necessary to generate an extreme event in the collective dynamics of a given system, we observe a power-law-like relationship between this coupling threshold and both topological (edge density) and spectral (algebraic connectivity) properties of various coupling topologies. Interestingly, this relationship appears to be largely independent of both the investigated system and the underlying mechanism to generate extreme events. This may indicate that the observed relationship is primarily mediated by aspects of the coupling topology.