English

Temporal connection probabilities in real networks

Physics and Society 2026-04-28 v1 Social and Information Networks

Abstract

Principled prediction of when and where links form in complex networks is a fundamental problem. We derive a closed-form non-Markovian expression for next-step connection probabilities that unifies latent hyperbolic geometry with long-range memory of past interactions. This expression yields interpretable forecasts governed by a small set of parameters. Applied to large-scale real networks, we find quantitative agreement with empirical connection probabilities and reveal how geometry and memory jointly shape link dynamics. These results establish a minimal and extensible foundation for principled probabilistic forecasting of temporal network topology.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2604.23714,
  title  = {Temporal connection probabilities in real networks},
  author = {Fragkiskos Papadopoulos},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2604.23714},
  year   = {2026}
}
R2 v1 2026-07-01T12:35:47.046Z