Some generalized centralities in higher-order networks represented by simplicial complexes

Abstract Higher-order interactions, that is, interactions among the units of group size greater than two, are a fundamental structural feature of a variety of complex systems across the scale. Simplicial complexes are combinatorial objects that can capture and model the higher-order interactions present in a given complex system and thus represent the complex system as a higher-order network comprising simplices. In this work, a given simplicial complex is viewed as a finite union of d-exclusive simplicial complexes. Thus, to represent a complex system as a higher-order network given by a simplicial complex that captures all orders of interactions present in the system, a family of symmetric adjacency tensors A(d) of dimension d + 1 and appropriate order has been used. Each adjacency tensor A(d) represents a d-exclusive simplicial complex and for d≥2 it represents exclusively higher-order interactions of the system. For characterizing the structure of d-exclusive simplicial complexes, the notion of generalized structural centrality indices namely, generalized betweenness centrality and generalized closeness centrality has been established by developing the concepts of generalized walk and generalized distance in the simplicial complex. Generalized centrality indices quantify the contribution of δ-simplices in any d-exclusive simplicial complex Δ, where δ<d and if d≥2, it describes the contribution of δ-faces to the higher-order interactions of Δ. These generalized centrality indices provide local structural descriptions, which lead to mesoscale insights into the simplicial complex that comprises the higher-order network. An important theorem providing a general technique for the characterization of connectedness in d-exclusive simplicial complexes in terms of irreducibility of its adjacency tensor has been established. The concepts developed in this work together with concepts of generalized simplex deletion in d-exclusive simplicial complexes have been illustrated using examples. The effect of deletions on the generalized centralities of the complexes in the examples has been discussed.