The exact solution of the mean geodesic distance for Vicsek fractals

Vicsek fractals are one of the most interesting classes of fractals and the study of their structural properties is important. In this paper, the exact formula for the mean geodesic distance of Vicsek fractals is found. The quantity is computed precisely through the recurrence relations derived from the self-similar structure of the fractals considered. The obtained exact solution exhibits that the mean geodesic distance approximately increases as a power-law function of the number of nodes, with the exponent equal to the reciprocal of the fractal dimension. The closed-form solution is confirmed by extensive numerical calculations.