Complex Systems Department - HUN-REN Centre for Energy Research

Head of Department

Géza Ódor

Tel: +(36-1)-392 2222 / 3660

Researchers in the Complex Systems Laboratory use the methods of statistical physics to investigate evolutionary game theoretic models and dynamic phenomena on various graphs. These models offer a general mathematical background to multidisciplinary research areas (biology, economics, behaviour research, surface growth, reaction-diffusion,… etc.).

In evolutionary game theory they use mathematical models to pursue investigations to explore processes, strategies and relationship systems, developing between selfish individuals, which support cooperation advantageous for the community. Among the punitive strategies they have found variations that efficiently help the prevalence of a behaviour representing the common interest in spatial “Tragedy of the commons” games. Model studies also justified the communal usefulness of exchanging information that comes at a cost, if a sufficient number of players willing to sacrifice are present in the community.
In evolutionary game theoretic models depth analysis is based on the ability to decompose interactions described in matrix form into the linear combination of four basic games. Systematic investigation of the coordination components cast light on the existence of social trap situations which are similar to phase-changes known in solid-state physics.
They study the size and duration time distributions of avalanche-like failures in models developed for studying power grids and brain. Models, suitable to describe the spread of activity and synchronization are being used in synthetic and real modular networks to quantify the effects of the heterogeneity in networks of the critical dynamics of brain models.