title: Efficiency of information spreading in a population of diffusing agents.
abstract: We introduce a model for information spreading among a population of N agents diffusing on a square L x L lattice, starting from an informed agent (Source). Information passing from informed to unaware agents occurs whenever the relative distance is < or = 1. Numerical simulations show that the time required for the information to reach all agents scales as N(-alpha)L(beta), where alpha and beta are noninteger. A decay factor z takes into account the degeneration of information as it passes from one agent to another; the final average degree of information of the population tau(av)(z) is thus history dependent. We find that the behavior of tau(av)(z) is nonmonotonic with respect to N and L and displays a set of minima. Part of the results are recovered with analytical approximations.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Fisica, Università degli Studi di Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze 7/A, 43100 Parma, Italy.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Agliari
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Burioni
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cassi
authors.forename: F M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Neri