Modularity and Extreme Edges of the Internet

Kasper Astrup Eriksen, Ingve Simonsen, Sergei Maslov, Kim Sneppen

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

We study the spectral properties of a diffusion process taking place on the Internet network focusing on the slowest decaying modes. These modes identify an underlying modular structure roughly corresponding to individual countries. For instance, in the slowest decaying mode the diffusion current flows from Russia to U.S. military sites. Quantitatively the modular structure manifests itself in a 10 times larger participation ratio of its slow decaying modes compared to a random scale-free network. We propose to use the fraction of nodes participating in slow decaying modes as a general measure of the modularity of a network. For the 100 slowest decaying modes of the Internet this fraction is [Formula presented]. Finally, we suggest that the degree of isolation of an individual module can be assessed by comparing its participation in different diffusion modes.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)4
Number of pages1
JournalPhysical review letters
Volume90
Issue number14
DOIs
StatePublished - 2003
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Physics and Astronomy

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Modularity and Extreme Edges of the Internet'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this