I am a senior research scientist at the Istituto dei Sistemi Complessi (Institute of Complex Systems, ISC-CNR), part of the National Research Council of Italy.

Some recent papers

•  L. Cirigliano, C. Castellano, and G. Bianconi,

        General theory for extended-range percolation on simple and multiplex networks

        Phys. Rev. E 110, 034302 (2024).

Extended-range percolation is a robust percolation process that has relevance for quantum communication problems. In extended-range percolation nodes can be trusted or untrusted. Untrusted facilitator nodes are untrusted nodes that can still allow communication between trusted nodes if they lie on a path of distance at most 𝑅 between two trusted nodes. In extended-range percolation the extended-range giant component (ERGC) includes trusted nodes connected by paths of trusted and untrusted facilitator nodes. Here, based on a message-passing algorithm, we develop a general theory of extended-range percolation, valid for arbitrary values of 𝑅 as long as the networks are locally treelike. This general framework allows us to investigate the properties of extended-range percolation on interdependent multiplex networks. While the extended-range nature makes multiplex networks more robust, interdependency makes them more fragile. From the interplay between these two effects a rich phase diagram emerges including discontinuous phase transitions and reentrant phases. The theoretical predictions are in excellent agreement with extensive Monte Carlo simulations. The proposed exactly solvable model constitutes a fundamental reference for the study of models defined through properties of extended-range paths.

• L. Cirigliano,  V. Brosco, C. Castellano, C. Conti and L. Pilozzi, 

Optimal quantum key distribution networks: capacitance versus security

npj Quantum Information, 10, 44 (2024)

The rate and security of quantum communications between users placed at arbitrary points of a quantum communication network depend on the structure of the network, on its extension and on the nature of the communication channels. In this work we propose a strategy for the optimization of trusted-relays based networks that intertwines classical network approaches and quantum information theory. Specifically, by suitably defining a quantum communication efficiency functional, we identify the optimal quantum communication connections through the network by balancing security and the quantum communication rate. The optimized network is then constructed as the network of the maximal quantum communication efficiency connections and its performance is evaluated by studying the scaling of average properties as functions of the number of nodes and of the network spatial extension.

• L. Cirigliano, C. Castellano, G.J. Baxter and G. Timár,

        Strongly clustered random graphs via triadic closure: An exactly solvable model

        Phys. Rev. E 109, 024306 (2024).

Triadic closure, the formation of a connection between two nodes in a network sharing a common neighbor, is considered a fundamental mechanism determining the clustered nature of many real-world topologies. In this work we define a static triadic closure (STC) model for clustered networks, whereby starting from an arbitrary fixed backbone network, each triad is closed independently with a given probability. Assuming a locally treelike backbone we derive exact expressions for the expected number of various small, loopy motifs (triangles, 4-loops, diamonds, and 4-cliques) as a function of moments of the backbone degree distribution. In this way we determine how transitivity and its suitably defined generalizations for higher-order motifs depend on the heterogeneity of the original network, revealing the existence of transitions due to the interplay between topologically inequivalent triads in the network. Furthermore, under reasonable assumptions for the moments of the backbone network, we establish approximate relationships between motif densities, which we test in a large dataset of real-world networks. We find a good agreement, indicating that STC is a realistic mechanism for the generation of clustered networks, while remaining simple enough to be amenable to analytical treatment.