On Degree-Based Decentralized Search in Complex Networks

Decentralized search aims to find the target node in a large network by using only local information. The applications of it include peer-to-peer file sharing, web search and anything else that requires locating a specific target in a complex system. In this paper, we examine the degree-based decentralized search method. Specifically, we evaluate the efficiency of the method in different cases with different amounts of available local information. In addition, we propose a simple refinement algorithm for significantly shortening the length of the route that has been found. Some insights useful for the future developments of efficient decentralized search schemes have been achieved.