Anomalous metapopulation dynamics on scale-free networks

Abstract: We model transport of individuals across a heterogeneous scale-free network where a few weakly connected nodes exhibit heavy-tailed residence times. Using the empirical law Axiom of Cumulative Inertia and fractional analysis we show that `anomalous cumulative inertia' overpowers highly connected nodes in attracting network individuals. This fundamentally challenges the classical result that individuals tend to accumulate in high-order nodes. The derived residence time distribution has a non-trivial U-shape which we encounter empirically across human residence and employment times.