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APS » Journals » Phys. Rev. E » Volume 71 » Issue 4
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Phys. Rev. E 71, 046117 (2005) [9 pages]

Information-theoretic approach to network modularity

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Etay Ziv
College of Physicians & Surgeons, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027, USA

Manuel Middendorf
Department of Physics, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027, USA

Chris H. Wiggins
Department of Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics, Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027, USA

Received 14 November 2004; published 14 April 2005

Exploiting recent developments in information theory, we propose, illustrate, and validate a principled information-theoretic algorithm for module discovery and the resulting measure of network modularity. This measure is an order parameter (a dimensionless number between 0 and 1). Comparison is made with other approaches to module discovery and to quantifying network modularity (using Monte Carlo generated Erdös-like modular networks). Finally, the network information bottleneck (NIB) algorithm is applied to a number of real world networks, including the “social” network of coauthors at the 2004 APS March Meeting.

© 2005 The American Physical Society

URL:
http://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevE.71.046117
DOI:
10.1103/PhysRevE.71.046117
PACS:
89.75.Fb, 87.23.Ge, 87.10.+e, 05.10.−a
 
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