Disorder induced phase transition in kinetic models of opinion dynamics

Soumya Jyoti Biswas , Arnab Chatterjee (1, 2, 3) , Parongama Sen

1 CPT - E5 Physique statistique et systèmes complexes
2 CPT - Centre de Physique Théorique - UMR 6207
3 CPT - Centre de Physique Théorique - UMR 7332

We propose a model of continuous opinion dynamics, where mutual interactions can be both positive and negative. Different types of distributions for the interactions, all characterised by a single parameter $p$ denoting the fraction of negative interactions, are considered. Results from exact calculation and numerical simulations indicate the existence of a universal continuous phase transition at $p=p_c$ below which a consensus is reached. In addition, the ordered and disordered regimes show desirable characteristic features close to reality.

Domaines: Mécanique statistique [cond-mat.stat-mech]; Physique et Société [physics.soc-ph]

Soumya Jyoti Biswas, Arnab Chatterjee, Parongama Sen. Disorder induced phase transition in kinetic models of opinion dynamics. Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, 2012, 391 (11), pp.3257-3265. ⟨10.1016/j.physa.2012.01.046⟩. ⟨hal-00564107⟩