Large Scale Networks and Mean Field Theory
Savo Glisic · 2016
This chapter considers a network consisting of large populations of interacting objects. Such systems are common in biology and chemistry, and telecommunications and queueing theory. The chapter illustrates the use of the mean field theory (MFT) in the analysis of this system by focusing on delay tolerant networks (DTNs) with large populations. It addresses the modeling and analysis of such systems using MF method. The chapter presents unified framework, based on differential equations (DEs), to study epidemic routing and its variations. It also presents an analytical framework, based on MFT, to study the performance of different recovery schemes for multicast DTN. The chapter discusses the scaling properties of the scale-free model that can account for the observed power law distribution of the connectivity. It analyzes how individual spectrum consumer or SUs preferences affect market evolution and prove the market convergence to a MF limit, even though SUs make local decisions.