Deep-learning-aided dismantling of interdependent networks

Identifying the minimal set of nodes whose removal breaks a complex network apart, also referred as the network dismantling problem, is a highly non-trivial task with applications in multiple domains. Whereas network dismantling has been extensively studied over the past decade, research has primarily focused on the optimization problem for single-layer networks, neglecting that many, if not all, real networks display multiple layers of interdependent interactions. In such networks, the optimization problem is fundamentally different as the effect of removing nodes propagates within and across layers in a way that can not be predicted using a single-layer perspective. Here we propose a dismantling algorithm named MultiDismantler, which leverages multiplex network representation and deep reinforcement learning to optimally dismantle multilayer interdependent networks. MultiDismantler is trained on small synthetic graphs; when applied to large, either real or synthetic, networks, it displays exceptional dismantling performance, clearly outperforming all existing benchmark algorithms. We show that MultiDismantler is effective in guiding strategies for the containment of diseases in social networks characterized by multiple layers of social interactions. Also, we show that MultiDismantler is useful in the design of protocols aimed at delaying the onset of cascading failures in interdependent critical infrastructures.