title: Broad lifetime distributions for ordering dynamics in complex networks.
abstract: We search for conditions under which a characteristic time scale for ordering dynamics toward either of two absorbing states in a finite complex network of interactions does not exist. With this aim, we study random networks and networks with mesoscale community structure built up from randomly connected cliques. We find that large heterogeneity at the mesoscale level of the network appears to be a sufficient mechanism for the absence of a characteristic time for the dynamics. Such heterogeneity results in dynamical metastable states that survive at any time scale.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering and Computational Science (BECS), Helsinki University of Technology, FIN-02015 HUT, Finland. Riita.Toivonen@tkk.fi
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Toivonen
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Castelló
authors.forename: V M
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Eguíluz
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Saramäki
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kaski
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: San Miguel