2013/07/29 by Chi Ho Yeung, David Saad, K. Y. Michael Wong · 3 citations
Computer Science · Mathematics · Physics and Astronomy · #Complex Network Analysis Techniques #Computer network #Computer science #Data Management and Algorithms #Data Visualization and Analytics #Distributed computing #Mathematical optimization #Mathematics #Overlay network #Path (computing) #Routing (electronic design automation) #Scaling #The Internet #cond-mat.dis-nn #cond-mat.stat-mech #cs.NI #nlin.AO #physics.soc-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1073/pnas.1301111110
published as PNAS Vol. 110, No. 34, P. 13717-13722 (August 20, 2013) · 6 pages, 6 figures. Supplementary information available at: http://www.pnas.org/content/suppl/2013/07/29/1301111110.DCSupplemental
openalex publication_date 2013/07/29 · arxiv created 2013/09/03 · arxiv updated 2013/09/05 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
Optimizing paths on networks is crucial for many applications, ranging from subway traffic to Internet communication. Because global path optimization that takes account of all path choices simultaneously is computationally hard, most existing routing algorithms optimize paths individually, thus providing suboptimal solutions. We use the physics of interacting polymers and disordered systems to analyze macroscopic properties of generic path optimization problems and derive a simple, principled, generic, and distributed routing algorithm capable of considering all individual path choices simultaneously. We demonstrate the efficacy of the algorithm by applying it to: (i) random graphs resembling Internet overlay networks, (ii) travel on the London Underground network based on Oyster card data, and (iii) the global airport network. Analytically derived macroscopic properties give rise to insightful new routing phenomena, including phase transitions and scaling laws, that facilitate better understanding of the appropriate operational regimes and their limitations, which are difficult to obtain otherwise.