networkcovering

Networkcovering is a concept in network theory describing a relationship between two networks, typically represented as graphs, through a covering map. In this context, a network H covers a base network G if there exists a surjective function f from the vertex set of H to the vertex set of G such that, for every vertex v in H, the restriction of f to the neighborhood of v is a bijection onto the neighborhood of f(v) in G. Intuitively, H locally “looks like” G at every node, so a small neighborhood in H maps exactly to the corresponding neighborhood in G.

Key terminology includes fibers and local isomorphism. The preimage f−1({u}) of a base vertex u is called a fiber, and all fibers have uniform size in connected covers. If a group of automorphisms of H acts transitively on each fiber, the covering is called regular (or normal), and a corresponding group of deck transformations describes the symmetry of the cover. Finite covers have a finite total number of vertices, while infinite covers may provide insights into repeating structure and scalability.

Examples illustrate the idea. A simple two-fold cover of a cycle G = C4 is H = C8, with f mapping each vertex of the eight-cycle to its position modulo four. The universal cover of a connected graph, obtained by unwinding cycles, is always a tree, which provides a tree-like representation of the original network’s local structure.

Applications of networkcovering include simplifying large networks for analysis, designing modular network topologies, studying symmetry and redundancy, and aiding in fault-tolerant construction and network alignment.

See also: covering graph, local isomorphism, universal cover, graph theory, network science.