Emergence of complex structures from nonlinear interactions and noise in coevolving networks

Abstract

We study the joint effect of the non-linearity of interactions and noise on coevolutionary dynamics. We choose the coevolving voter model as a prototype framework for this problem. By numerical simulations and analytical approximations we find three main phases that differ in the absolute magnetisation and the size of the largest component: a consensus phase, a coexistence phase, and a dynamical fragmentation phase. More detailed analysis reveals inner differences in these phases, allowing us to divide two of them further. In the consensus phase we can distinguish between a weak or alternating consensus and a strong consensus, in which the system remains in the same state for the whole realisation of the stochastic dynamics. In the coexistence phase we distinguish a fully-mixing phase and a structured coexistence phase, where the number of active links drops significantly due to the formation of two homogeneous communities. Our numerical observations are supported by an analytical description using a pair approximation approach and an ad-hoc calculation for the transition between the coexistence and dynamical fragmentation phases. Our work shows how simple interaction rules including the joint effect of non-linearity, noise, and coevolution lead to complex structures relevant in the description of social systems.