Robustness of multilayer interdependent higher-order network

Abstract

In real-world complex systems, most networks are interconnected with other networks through interlayer dependencies, forming multilayer interdependent networks. In each system, the interactions between nodes are not limited to pairwise but also exist in a higher-order interaction composed of three or more individuals, thus inducing a multilayer interdependent higher-order network (MIHN). First, we build four types of artificial MIHN models (i.e., chain-like, tree-like, star-like and ring-like), in which the higher-order interactions are described by the simplicial complexes, and the interlayer dependency is built via a one-to-one matching dependency link. Then, we propose a cascading failure model on MIHN and suggest a corresponding percolation-based theory to study the robustness of MIHN by investigating the giant connected components (GCC) and percolation threshold. We find that the density of the simplicial complexes and the number of layers of the network affect its penetration behavior. When the density of simplicial complexes exceeds a certain threshold, the network has a double transition, and the increase in network layers significantly enhances the vulnerability of MIHN. By comparing the simulation results of MIHNs with four types, we observe that under the same density of simplicial complexes, the size of the GCC is independent of the topological structures of MIHN after removing a certain number of nodes. Although the cascading failure process of MIHNs with different structures is different, the final results tend to be the same. We further analyze in detail the cascading failure process of MIHN with different structures and elucidate the factors influencing the speed of cascading failures. Among these four types of MIHNs, the chain-like MIHN has the slowest cascading failure rate and more stable robustness compared to the other three structures, followed by the tree-like MIHN and star-like MIHN. The ring-like MIHN has the fastest cascading failure rate and weakest robustness due to its ring structure. Finally, we give the time required for the MIHN with different structures to reach the stable state during the cascading failure process and find that the closer to the percolation threshold, the more time the network requires to reach the stable state.