An infinite stochastic model of social network formation (Q2485783)

An infinite interacting particle system coming from social network is studied. In the system, individuals choose neighbors according to evolving sets of probabilities. If \(x\) chooses \(y\) at some time, the effect is to increase the probability that \(y\) chooses \(x\) at later times. The main result of the paper is a characterization of the extremal invariant measures for this process. In an extremal equilibrium, the set of individuals is partitioned into finite sets called stars, each of which includes a ``center'' that is always chosen by the other individuals in that set. It is remarkable that the extremal equilibrium for this system has a nontrivial structure and is not so easy to observe.