Abstract
We introduce a simple mechanism for the evolution of small world networks. Our model is a growing network in which all connections are made locally to geographically nearby sites. Although connections are made purely locally, network growth leads to stretching of old connections and to high clustering. Our results suggest that the abundance of small world networks in geographically constrained systems is a natural consequence of system growth and local interactions.
- Received 30 July 2003
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.69.026108
©2004 American Physical Society