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***** To join INSNA, visit http://www.insna.org ***** Controllability of complex networks (Yang-Yu Liu, Jean-Jacques Slotine, & Albert-László Barabási) The ultimate proof of our understanding of natural or technological systems is reflected in our ability to control them. Although control theory offers mathematical tools for steering engineered and natural systems towards a desired state, a framework to control complex self-organized systems is lacking. Here we develop analytical tools to study the controllability of an arbitrary complex directed network, identifying the set of driver nodes with time-dependent control that can guide the systems entire dynamics. We apply these tools to several real networks, finding that the number of driver nodes is determined mainly by the networks degree distribution. We show that sparse inhomogeneous networks, which emerge in many real complex systems, are the most difficult to control, but that dense and homogeneous networks can be controlled using a few driver nodes. Counterintuitively, we find that in both model and real systems the driver nodes tend to avoid the high-degree nodes. http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v473/n7346/full/nature10011.html -j John Maloney The Future of Networks Mail: http://1id.com/=jheuristic Web: http://www.futureofnetworks.com Blog: http://networksingularity.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/jheuristic Tel: 415.902.9676 Fax: 415.276.6074 Skype: jheuristic _____________________________________________________________________ SOCNET is a service of INSNA, the professional association for social network researchers (http://www.insna.org). To unsubscribe, send an email message to [log in to unmask] containing the line UNSUBSCRIBE SOCNET in the body of the message.