Randomized Zero Forcing

Fuente: arXiv
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Auteurs principaux: Geneson, Jesse, Hicks, Illya, Lichtenberg, Noah, Moon, Alvin, Robles, Nicolas
Format: Preprint
Publié: 2026
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author Geneson, Jesse
Hicks, Illya
Lichtenberg, Noah
Moon, Alvin
Robles, Nicolas
author_facet Geneson, Jesse
Hicks, Illya
Lichtenberg, Noah
Moon, Alvin
Robles, Nicolas
contents We introduce randomized zero forcing (RZF), a stochastic color-change process on directed graphs in which a white vertex turns blue with probability equal to the fraction of its incoming neighbors that are blue. Unlike probabilistic zero forcing, RZF is governed by in-neighborhood structure and can fail to propagate globally due to directionality. The model extends naturally to weighted directed graphs by replacing neighbor counts with incoming weight proportions. We study the expected propagation time of RZF, establishing monotonicity properties with respect to enlarging the initial blue set and increasing weights on edges out of initially blue vertices, as well as invariances that relate weighted and unweighted dynamics. Exact values and sharp asymptotics are obtained for several families of directed graphs, including arborescences, stars, paths, cycles, and spiders, and we derive tight extremal bounds for unweighted directed graphs in terms of basic parameters such as order, degree, and radius. We conclude with an application to an empirical input-output network, illustrating how expected propagation time under RZF yields a dynamic, process-based notion of centrality in directed weighted systems.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2602_16300
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Randomized Zero Forcing
Geneson, Jesse
Hicks, Illya
Lichtenberg, Noah
Moon, Alvin
Robles, Nicolas
Combinatorics
Discrete Mathematics
05C57, 05C20, 05C81, 60J10
We introduce randomized zero forcing (RZF), a stochastic color-change process on directed graphs in which a white vertex turns blue with probability equal to the fraction of its incoming neighbors that are blue. Unlike probabilistic zero forcing, RZF is governed by in-neighborhood structure and can fail to propagate globally due to directionality. The model extends naturally to weighted directed graphs by replacing neighbor counts with incoming weight proportions. We study the expected propagation time of RZF, establishing monotonicity properties with respect to enlarging the initial blue set and increasing weights on edges out of initially blue vertices, as well as invariances that relate weighted and unweighted dynamics. Exact values and sharp asymptotics are obtained for several families of directed graphs, including arborescences, stars, paths, cycles, and spiders, and we derive tight extremal bounds for unweighted directed graphs in terms of basic parameters such as order, degree, and radius. We conclude with an application to an empirical input-output network, illustrating how expected propagation time under RZF yields a dynamic, process-based notion of centrality in directed weighted systems.
title Randomized Zero Forcing
topic Combinatorics
Discrete Mathematics
05C57, 05C20, 05C81, 60J10
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2602.16300