Network Robustness Revisited

The robustness of complex networks was one of the first phenomena studied after the inception of network science. However, many contemporary presentations of this theory do not go beyond the original papers. Here we revisit this topic with the aim of providing a deep but didactic introduction. We pay attention to some complications in the computation of giant component sizes that are commonly ignored. Following an intuitive procedure, we derive simple formulas that capture the effect of common attack scenarios on arbitrary (configuration model) networks. We hope that this easy introduction will help new researchers discover this beautiful area of network science.

Automated summary

This paper revisits the robustness of complex networks with a deep but didactic introduction, paying attention to complications in computing giant component sizes that are commonly ignored, and deriving simple formulas to capture the effect of common attack scenarios on networks.