Enhancing network robustness with structural prior and evolutionary techniques

Robustness optimization in complex networks is a critical research area due to its implications for the reliability and stability of various systems. However, existing algorithms encounter two key challenges: the lack of integration of prior network knowledge, leading to suboptimal solutions, and high computational costs, which hinder their practical application. To address these challenges, this paper introduces Eff-R-Net, an efficient evolutionary algorithm framework aimed at enhancing the robustness of complex networks through accelerated evolution. Eff-R-Net leverages global and local network information, featuring a novel three-part composite crossover operator. Prior network knowledge is incorporated in mutation and local search operators to expedite the construction of networks with superior robustness. Additionally, a simplified method for calculating robustness enhances efficiency, while adaptive hyper-parameters dynamically adjust operators execution probabilities for optimal evolution. Extensive evaluations on both synthetic (Scale-Free, Erdös-Rényi, and Small-World) and three infrastructure real-world networks demonstrate the superiority of Eff-R-Net. The algorithm improves robustness by 12.8% and reduces computational time by 25.4% compared to state-of-the-art algorithm in real-world network experiments. These findings underscore Eff-R-Net's versatility and potential in enhancing network robustness across different domains.