title: A box-covering algorithm for fractal scaling in scale-free networks.
abstract: A random sequential box-covering algorithm recently introduced to measure the fractal dimension in scale-free (SF) networks is investigated. The algorithm contains Monte Carlo sequential steps of choosing the position of the center of each box; thereby, vertices in preassigned boxes can divide subsequent boxes into more than one piece, but divided boxes are counted once. We find that such box-split allowance in the algorithm is a crucial ingredient necessary to obtain the fractal scaling for fractal networks; however, it is inessential for regular lattice and conventional fractal objects embedded in the Euclidean space. Next, the algorithm is viewed from the cluster-growing perspective that boxes are allowed to overlap; thereby, vertices can belong to more than one box. The number of distinct boxes a vertex belongs to is, then, distributed in a heterogeneous manner for SF fractal networks, while it is of Poisson-type for the conventional fractal objects.
authors.affiliation: CTP & FPRD, School of Physics and Astronomy, Seoul National University, NS50, Seoul 151-747, Korea.
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Kim
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