Hybrid universality classes of systemic cascades

Abstract Cascades are self-reinforcing processes underlying the systemic risk of many complex systems. Understanding the universal aspects of these phenomena is of fundamental interest, yet typically bound to numerical observations in ad-hoc models and limited insights. Here, we develop a unifying a...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: I. Bonamassa, B. Gross, J. Kertész, S. Havlin
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-02-01
Series:Nature Communications
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-55639-3
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Summary:Abstract Cascades are self-reinforcing processes underlying the systemic risk of many complex systems. Understanding the universal aspects of these phenomena is of fundamental interest, yet typically bound to numerical observations in ad-hoc models and limited insights. Here, we develop a unifying approach that reveals two distinct universality classes of cascades determined by the global symmetry of the cascading process. We provide hyperscaling arguments predicting hybrid critical phenomena characterized by a combination of both mean-field spinodal exponents and d-dimensional corrections, and show how parity invariance influences the geometry and lifetime of critical avalanches. Our theory applies to a wide range of networked systems in arbitrary dimensions, as we demonstrate by simulations encompassing classic and novel cascade models, revealing universal principles of cascade critical phenomena amenable to experimental validation.
ISSN:2041-1723