Tricritical Point in Correlated Interdependent Networks

Abstract Many real-world networks depend on other networks, often in non-trivial ways, to keep their functionality. These interdependent “networks of networks” are often extremely fragile. When a fraction 1− p of nodes in one network randomly fail, the damage propagates to nodes in networks that are interdependent with it and a dynamic failure cascade occurs that affects the entire system. We present novel dynamic equations for two interdependent networks that allow us to reproduce the failure cascade for an arbitrary pattern of interdependency. We study the “rich club” effect found in many real interdependent network systems in which the high-degree nodes are extremely interdependent, correlating a fraction α of the higher degree interdependent nodes on each network. We find a rich phase diagram in the plane p−α, with a tricritical point reminiscent of the tricritical point of liquids that separates a non-functional phase from two functional phases with different system sizes.