It has been commonly recognized that heterogeneously connected networks are robust against random decays but vulnerable to malicious attacks. However, little is known about measures of heterogeneity geared towards robustness of complex networks. Here, we propose two types of percolation on general networks triggered by random-link errors, where occupied links support the nodes to be alive. Rich resilience behaviors are observed in terms of the percolation threshold and the (integrated) fraction of giant cluster. The discrepancy unraveled between the two models allows us to dynamically define compact measures that have acute discrimination in gauging network heterogeneity. The results provide a connection between network performance, structure, and dynamics.

• Received 15 February 2014
• Revised 12 June 2014

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.90.032820