A complex network approach to characterize clustering of events in irregular time series

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Sukdeo, Ambedkar Sanket, Vignesh, K. Shri, Gunthe, Sachin S., Rao, T Narayan, Patra, Amit Kumar, Sujith, R. I.
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
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author Sukdeo, Ambedkar Sanket
Vignesh, K. Shri
Gunthe, Sachin S.
Rao, T Narayan
Patra, Amit Kumar
Sujith, R. I.
author_facet Sukdeo, Ambedkar Sanket
Vignesh, K. Shri
Gunthe, Sachin S.
Rao, T Narayan
Patra, Amit Kumar
Sujith, R. I.
contents In complex systems, events occur at irregular intervals that inherently encode the underlying dynamics of the system. Analyzing the temporal clustering of these events reveals critical insights into the non-random patterns and the temporal evolution. Existing techniques can effectively quantify the overall clustering tendency of events using global statistical measures. However, these macroscopic approaches leave a critical gap, as they do not attempt to investigate the dynamics of individual clusters. Analyzing individual clusters is essential, as it helps comprehend the local interactions that actively drive the system dynamics, which may be obscured by global averaging, while simultaneously revealing the time scales involved. To address these limitations, we propose a complex network-based framework for analyzing clustering of events occurring at irregular intervals. The framework establishes connections using arrival times, transforming the time series into a network. Network properties are then used to quantify the clustering. Further, a community detection algorithm is used to identify individual clusters in time series. We illustrate the method by applying it to standard arrival processes, such as the Poisson process and the Markov-modulated Poisson process. To further demonstrate its scope, we apply the method to two diverse systems: the time series of droplet arrivals in turbulent flows and the R-R intervals in electrocardiogram (ECG) signals.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2603_18044
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle A complex network approach to characterize clustering of events in irregular time series
Sukdeo, Ambedkar Sanket
Vignesh, K. Shri
Gunthe, Sachin S.
Rao, T Narayan
Patra, Amit Kumar
Sujith, R. I.
Data Analysis, Statistics and Probability
Pattern Formation and Solitons
Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics
In complex systems, events occur at irregular intervals that inherently encode the underlying dynamics of the system. Analyzing the temporal clustering of these events reveals critical insights into the non-random patterns and the temporal evolution. Existing techniques can effectively quantify the overall clustering tendency of events using global statistical measures. However, these macroscopic approaches leave a critical gap, as they do not attempt to investigate the dynamics of individual clusters. Analyzing individual clusters is essential, as it helps comprehend the local interactions that actively drive the system dynamics, which may be obscured by global averaging, while simultaneously revealing the time scales involved. To address these limitations, we propose a complex network-based framework for analyzing clustering of events occurring at irregular intervals. The framework establishes connections using arrival times, transforming the time series into a network. Network properties are then used to quantify the clustering. Further, a community detection algorithm is used to identify individual clusters in time series. We illustrate the method by applying it to standard arrival processes, such as the Poisson process and the Markov-modulated Poisson process. To further demonstrate its scope, we apply the method to two diverse systems: the time series of droplet arrivals in turbulent flows and the R-R intervals in electrocardiogram (ECG) signals.
title A complex network approach to characterize clustering of events in irregular time series
topic Data Analysis, Statistics and Probability
Pattern Formation and Solitons
Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.18044