Eur. Phys. J. Plus (2020) 135: 193
https://doi.org/10.1140/epjp/s13360-019-00039-6

Regular Article

Multilayer coupled network promotes group consensus

¹ Dali University, Dali, 671003, China
² Academy of Mathematics and Systems Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China

^* e-mail: lizhenpeng@amss.ac.cn

Received: 11 July 2019
Accepted: 1 October 2019
Published online: 3 February 2020

Abstract

Recently, multilayer networks are widely accepted to model many real-world complex systems. The study of multilayer networks has also revealed new physical phenomena that remain hidden when using the traditional single-layer network representation. Here, we investigate the group consensus on coupled multilayer network. Simulations show that coupled multilayer network greatly promotes the group consensus, and the results perfectly agree with the decomposition of the supra-Laplacian and Rayleigh quotient theoretic analysis. In addition, we find that the greater the coupling strength, the shorter the time required to reach consensus. The findings provided in this paper deepen our understanding of how the multilayer nature of the network affects opinion dynamics and formation of consensus, and we may find potential applications on control of public opinion, such as multi-path dynamic coupled propagation of the same hot topic on different interactive social media platforms.