Spatial growth of real-world networks

Phys Rev E Stat Nonlin Soft Matter Phys. 2004 Mar;69(3 Pt 2):036103. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevE.69.036103. Epub 2004 Mar 9.

Abstract

Many real-world networks have properties of small-world networks, with clustered local neighborhoods and low average-shortest path. They may also show a scale-free degree distribution, which can be generated by growth and preferential attachment to highly connected nodes, or hubs. However, many real-world networks consist of multiple, interconnected clusters not normally seen in systems grown by preferential attachment, and there also exist real-world networks with a scale-free degree distribution that do not contain highly connected hubs. We describe spatial-growth mechanisms, not using preferential attachment, that address both aspects.