0000000000726127
AUTHOR
Scott Kirkpatrick
Selfish vs. Unselfish Optimization of Network Creation
We investigate several variants of a network creation model: a group of agents builds up a network between them while trying to keep the costs of this network small. The cost function consists of two addends, namely (i) a constant amount for each edge an agent buys and (ii) the minimum number of hops it takes sending messages to other agents. Despite the simplicity of this model, various complex network structures emerge depending on the weight between the two addends of the cost function and on the selfish or unselfish behaviour of the agents.
HOW SMART DOES AN AGENT NEED TO BE?
The classic distributed computation is done by atoms, molecules or spins in vast numbers, each equipped with nothing more than the knowledge of their immediate neighborhood and the rules of statistical mechanics. These agents, 1023 or more, are able to form liquids and solids from gases, realize extremely complex ordered states, such as liquid crystals, and even decode encrypted messages. We will describe a study done for a sensor-array "challenge problem" in which we have based our approach on old-fashioned simulated annealing to accomplish target acquisition and tracking under the rules of statistical mechanics. We believe the many additional constraints that occur in the real problem ca…