{"paper":{"title":"The Ringelmann Effect in Multi-Agent LLM Systems: A Scaling Law for Effective Team Size","license":"http://arxiv.org/licenses/nonexclusive-distrib/1.0/","headline":"","cross_cats":["cs.AI","cs.MA"],"primary_cat":"physics.soc-ph","authors_text":"Bla\\v{z} Bertalani\\v{c}, Carolina Fortuna","submitted_at":"2026-05-31T16:19:54Z","abstract_excerpt":"Inference-time multi-agent LLM scaling lacks a shared unit: counting nominal agents conflates cost with independent evidence. We derive a two-parameter scaling law $R(N) = N_\\text{eff}/N = 1/(1+c(N-1)N^{-\\beta})$ where the regime exponent $\\beta$ classifies any configuration into one of three asymptotic regimes -- hard-ceiling at $1/c$ ($\\beta = 0$), sublinear at $N^\\beta/c$ ($0 < \\beta < 1$), or linear ($\\beta \\ge 1$), and a mean-field theorem predicts that peer count $k$ and rounds $\\tau$ during agent debate enter the dynamics only through their product $k\\tau$. The law applies at two levels"},"claims":{"count":0,"items":[],"snapshot_sha256":"258153158e38e3291e3d48162225fcdb2d5a3ed65a07baac614ab91432fd4f57"},"source":{"id":"2606.02646","kind":"arxiv","version":1},"verdict":{"id":null,"model_set":{},"created_at":null,"strongest_claim":"","one_line_summary":"","pipeline_version":null,"weakest_assumption":"","pith_extraction_headline":""},"integrity":{"clean":true,"summary":{"advisory":0,"critical":0,"by_detector":{},"informational":0},"endpoint":"/pith/2606.02646/integrity.json","findings":[],"available":true,"detectors_run":[],"snapshot_sha256":"c28c3603d3b5d939e8dc4c7e95fa8dfce3d595e45f758748cecf8e644a296938"},"references":{"count":0,"sample":[],"resolved_work":0,"snapshot_sha256":"258153158e38e3291e3d48162225fcdb2d5a3ed65a07baac614ab91432fd4f57","internal_anchors":0},"formal_canon":{"evidence_count":0,"snapshot_sha256":"258153158e38e3291e3d48162225fcdb2d5a3ed65a07baac614ab91432fd4f57"},"author_claims":{"count":0,"strong_count":0,"snapshot_sha256":"258153158e38e3291e3d48162225fcdb2d5a3ed65a07baac614ab91432fd4f57"},"builder_version":"pith-number-builder-2026-05-17-v1"}