Effect of degree correlations on networked traffic dynamics

In order to enhance the transport capacity of scale-free networks, we study the relation between the degree correlation and the transport capacity of the network. We calculate the degree–degree correlation coefficient, the maximal betweenness and the critical value of the generating rate Rc (traffic congestion occurs for R>Rc). Numerical experiments indicate that both assortative mixing and disassortative mixing can enhance the transport capacity. We also reveal how the network structure affects the transport capacity. Assortative (disassortative) mixing changes distributions of nodes’ betweennesses, and as a result, the traffic decreases through nodes with the highest degree while it increases through the initially idle nodes.