Marco Patriarca, PhD

Marco Patriarca, PhD
Academic Visitor, Department of Computer Science, Aalto University School of Science

𝚖𝚊𝚛𝚌𝚘.𝚙𝚊𝚝𝚛𝚒𝚊𝚛𝚌𝚊@𝚐𝚖𝚊𝚒𝚕.𝚌𝚘𝚖 | 𝚖𝚊𝚛𝚌𝚘.𝚙𝚊𝚝𝚛𝚒𝚊𝚛𝚌𝚊@𝚊𝚊𝚕𝚝𝚘.𝚏𝚒

I am a physicist with a PhD from the University of Perugia and an MSc (Laurea) from La Sapienza University of Rome.
My background is in quantum and statistical mechanics. I have worked in complex systems across various interdisciplinary topics, including biophysics, cultural dynamics, cognitive processes, ecological modeling, and econophysics.

I have been studying synchronization in heterogeneous networks of oscillator and more in general the origin of resonant collective responses, such diversity-induced resonances.
I am co-starter of the ComplexSimplex group and led the project "The role of learning in language dynamics" supported by the Estonian Research Council (Grant PRG1059, 2021-2025).
Currently, I am an academic visitor at the Department of Computer Science, Aalto University, focusing on the study of complex networks.

Research topics

➡︎ Stochastic Resonance, Diversity-Induced Resonance.

➡︎ Role of diversity and noise in the dynamics of complex systems (synchronization, resonances, collective response).

➡︎ Statistical mechanics and diffusion processes, Brownian motion.

➡︎ Quantum mechanics, quantum open systems, quantum diffusion.

➡︎ Interdisciplinary physics of networked systems, cultural&linguistic spreading, ecological and economic competition.

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Recent News

Our last paper on the threshold model of bilingualism is accepted! The model applies also to any cultural or opinion dynamics with two options and can describe both the critical mass effect, related to the attractiveness of the other language/opinion, and the attrition process, due to the lack of interaction with the same language/opinion, thus unifying various language culture dynamics models.

M.V. Tamm, E. Heinsalu, S. Scialla, M. Patriarca,
Threshold model of language competition including the bilingual state,
Phys. Rev. E - Accepted 3 February, 2026
doi: 10.1103/54yq-pcvc arxiv:2511.09136

Our first threshold model of language dynamics is out. It can explicitly describe within the simple framework of a generalized Abrams-Strogatz model the need of interacting enough (Ebbinghaus Effect) in order to learn a language, something neglected in most language dynamics models.

M.V. Tamm, E. Heinsalu, S. Scialla, M. Patriarca,
Learning thresholds lead to stable language coexistence,
Phys. Rev. E 111, 024304 (2025)
doi: 10.1103/PhysRevE.111.024304 arXiv:2406.14522

Asymmetric distribution can have crucial effects on the collective dynamics. Most studies of heterogeneous systems assume that the parameter distributions are symmetrical for the sake of simplicity. But what happens if instead the distribution is asymmetric? Indeed distributions are usually asymmetric and the effect of asymmetry can be surprising.

S. Scialla, M. Patriarca, E. Heinsalu, M.E. Yamakou, J.H. E. Cartwright,
Effect of diversity distribution symmetry on global oscillations of networks of excitable units,
Phys. Rev. E 112, 054201 (2025)
doi: 10.1103/lvb3-dc11 arXiv:2507.09804

In this paper we unify and provide a microscopic derivation of well know collective resonant effects such as diversity-induced resonance and diversity-induced coherence resonance, in terms of a simple mechnaical resonant process that we termed DDR - "Dimer Diffusion Resonance".

M. Patriarca, S. Scialla, E. Heinsalu, M.E. Yamakou, J.H. E. Cartwright,
Dynamical equivalence between resonant translocation of a polymer chain and diversity-induced resonance,
Chaos 35, 073115 (2025)
doi: 10.1063/5.0262633 https://arxiv.org/abs/2502.00900

Gradually Language Dynamics and the Complex Systems approach to the study of language is being recognized and entering the mainstream. Congratulations to the whole team - and a special thanks to the Editors - for the last renewed 3rd editions of the International Encyclopedia of Language and Linguistics, which contains many interesting articles, including ours:

E. Heinsalu, Marco Patriarca, David Sanchez,
Language Dynamics: Complex Systems Approaches,
in: Reference Collection in Social Sciences,
International Encyclopedia of Language and Linguistics, 3rd edition, Elsevier 2025
doi:10.1016/B978-0-323-95504-1.00991-1 [online preprint allowed starting in November 2026]

Following the suggestions by Axelrod himself done in his pioneering paper, we have generalized the Axelrod model in order to include the possibility that two different individuals may always communicate with each other, even if having very different cultural backgrounds. Completed with the presence of (possibly small) fractions of zealot individuals in at least 2 of the possible opinion states, we have shown that the system can relax towards a fragmented state containing communities with all the possible opinions, much like the genetic recombination of two distinct genomes with N genes unlocks a combinatorial space of 2^N possible cultural profiles.

In the lingiuost framework, this implies that two interacting languages will probably fragment into a high number of different languages.

V. Dornelas, C. Anteneodo, R. Nunes, E. Heinsalu, M. Patriarca,
Role of zealots in the spread of linguistic traits,
Phys. Rev. E 112, 044303 (2025)
doi:10.1103/t4pt-zdc3 arxiv:2508.01500

CompiLa2025 I have co-organized CompiLa2025 - Complexity in Language together with David Sanchez and Els Heinsalu. This year CompiLa2025 has been a satellite meeting of CCS2025, the annual Conference on Complex Systems, in Siena, Tuscany. This is the fourth edition of the CompiLa interdisciplinary meetings devoted to Complexity in Language.

Contact

Address: Marco Patriarca, PhD;

Academic Visitor, Department of Computer Science, Aalto University School of Science, P.O. Box 11000, 00076 Aalto, Finland

Email: 𝚖𝚊𝚛𝚌𝚘.𝚙𝚊𝚝𝚛𝚒𝚊𝚛𝚌𝚊@𝚐𝚖𝚊𝚒𝚕.𝚌𝚘𝚖
𝚖𝚊𝚛𝚌𝚘.𝚙𝚊𝚝𝚛𝚒𝚊𝚛𝚌𝚊@𝚊𝚊𝚕𝚝𝚘.𝚏𝚒