Giant strongly biconnected components of directed networks: a generating function approach

Abstract

Strongly connected components (SCCs) characterize modular structure in directed networks but are fragile to single node failures. We study strongly biconnected components (SBCs), which are the set of nodes in which every node pair remains mutually reachable after the removal of any single node, as a more robust notion of connectivity. Using a generating function formalism, we derive the size of the giant SBC and analyze its percolation behavior under random node and link removal. We show that the giant SBC emerges at the same threshold as the giant SCC but grows more slowly due to stricter connectivity requirements. We also applied our theoretical framework to real-world biological networks including gene regulatory networks and neural connectome. Our framework provides insight into the interplay between connectivity, redundancy, and robustness in complex directed systems.