The inherent uncertainty of temporal networks is a true challenge for control

Recently, it has been suggested that network temporality can be exploited to substantially reduce the energy required to control complex networks. This somewhat counterintuitive finding was explained through an evocative example of the advantage of temporal networks: when navigating a sailboat, we raise the sails when the wind helps us while lowering them when it works against us. Unfortunately, controlling complex networks inherits a further analogy with navigating a sailboat: having to face the inherent uncertainty of future winds. We rarely, if ever, have deterministic knowledge of the evolution of the network we want to control. Here, our challenge is to exploit the potential advantages of temporality when only a probabilistic description of the future is available. We prove that, in this more realistic setting, exploiting temporality is no more a panacea for network control, but rather an asset of a wider toolbox made available by the scientific community. One that can indeed turn out useful, provided that the temporality of the network structure matches the intrinsic time scales of the nodes we want to control.

Automated summary

Leveraging network temporality can reduce energy consumption in controlling complex networks, but also presents challenges due to uncertainty in future winds. In a probabilistic setting, exploiting temporality is not a cure-all for network control, but can be a useful asset in the wider toolbox provided by the scientific community.