Optimal networks measured by global mean first return time

Abstract

Random walks have wide application in real lives, ranging from target search, reaction kinetics, polymer chains, to the forecast of the arrive time of extreme events, diseases or opinions. In this paper, we consider discrete random walks on general connected networks and focus on the analysis of the global mean first return time (GMFRT), which is defined as the mean first return time averaged over all the possible starting positions (vertices), aiming at finding the structures who have the maximal (or the minimal) GMFRT among all connected graphs with the same number of vertices and edges. Our results show that, among all trees with the same number of vertices, trees with linear structure are the structures with the minimal GMFRT and stars are the structures with the maximal GMFRT. We also find that, among all connected graphs with the same number of vertices, the graphs whose vertices have the same degree, are the structures with the minimal GMFRT; and the graphs whose vertex degrees have the biggest difference, are the structures with the maximal GMFRT. We also present the methods for constructing the graphs with the maximal GMFRT (or the minimal GMFRT), among all connected graphs with the same number of vertices and edges.