Inconsistencies Among Spectral Robustness Metrics

Abstract

Network robustness plays a critical role in the proper functioning of modern society. It is common practice to use spectral metrics, to quantify the robustness of networks. In this paper we compare eight different spectral metrics that quantify network robustness. Four of the metrics are derived from the adjacency matrix, the others follow from the Laplacian spectrum. We found that the metrics can give inconsistent indications, when comparing the robustness of different synthetic networks. Then, we calculate and compare the spectral metrics for a number of real-world networks, where inconsistencies still occur, but to a lesser extent. Finally, we indicate how the concept of the R^∗-value, a weighted sum of robustness metrics, can be used to resolve the found inconsistencies.