Quantitative Controllability Index of Complex Networks

Abstract

In this paper, the controllability issue of complex network is discussed. A new quantitative index using knowledge of control centrality and condition number is constructed to measure the controllability of given networks. For complex networks with different controllable subspace dimensions, their controllability is mainly determined by the control centrality factor. For the complex networks that have the equal controllable subspace dimension, their different controllability is mostly determined by the condition number of subnetworks’ controllability matrix. Then the effect of this index is analyzed based on simulations on various types of network topologies, such as ER random network, WS small-world network, and BA scale-free network. The results show that the presented index could reflect the holistic controllability of complex networks. Such an endeavour could help us better understand the relationship between controllability and network topology.