A Biophysical Approach to the Design of Networks of Communication Systems

ABSTRACT Inspired by the growth dynamics of the protist Physarum polycephalum , we employ a formalism that describes adaptive, incompressible Hagen‐Poiseuille flows on channel networks to identify graphs connecting different nodes within Euclidean space. These graphs are either suboptimal or optimal relative to their length. Occasionally, we derive graph tree configurations that are topologically equivalent to Steiner trees. This methodology can be utilized to assist in making decisions regarding the design of communication networks, such as fiber webs, motorways, or railway networks. As a demonstration of the practicality of this approach, we explicitly apply this framework to the Portuguese railway network.