title: Universal behavior of load distribution in scale-free networks.
abstract: We study a problem of data packet transport in scale-free networks whose degree distribution follows a power law with the exponent gamma. Load, or "betweenness centrality," of a vertex is the accumulated total number of data packets passing through that vertex when every pair of vertices sends and receives a data packet along the shortest path connecting the pair. It is found that the load distribution follows a power law with the exponent delta approximately 2.2(1), insensitive to different values of gamma in the range, 2 < gamma < or = 3, and different mean degrees, which is valid for both undirected and directed cases. Thus, we conjecture that the load exponent is a universal quantity to characterize scale-free networks.
authors.affiliation: School of Physics and Center for Theoretical Physics, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-747, Korea.
authors.forename: K I
authors.initials: KI
authors.lastname: Goh
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kahng
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D007255:Information Services; D008954:Models, Biological; D008962:Models, Theoretical