Engineering mesoscale structures with distinct dynamical implications in networks of delay-coupled delay oscillators

Abstract

The dynamics of networks of interacting systems depends intricately on the interaction topology. When the dynamics is explored, generally the whole topology has to be considered. However, we show that there are certain mesoscale subgraphs that have precise and distinct consequences for the system-level dynamics. In particular, if meso-scale symmetries are present then eigenvectors of the Jacobian localise on the symmetric subgraph and the corresponding eigenvalues become insensitive to the topology outside the subgraph. Hence, dynamical instabilities associated with these eigenvalues can be analyzed without considering the topology outside the subgraph. While such instabilities are thus generated entirely in small network subgraphs, they generally do not remain confined to the subgraph once the instability sets in and thus have system-level consequences. Here we illustrate the analytical investigation of such instabilities in an ecological meta-population model consisting of a network of delay-coupled delay oscillators.