Fractional diffusion on circulant networks: emergence of a dynamical small world

In this paper, we study fractional random walks on networks defined from the equivalent of the fractional diffusion equation in graphs. We explore this process analytically in circulant networks; in particular, interacting cycles and limit cases such as a ring and a complete graph. From the spectra and the eigenvectors of the Laplacian matrix, we deduce explicit results for different quantities that characterize this dynamical process. We obtain analytical expressions for the fractional transition matrix, the fractional degrees and the average probability of return of the random walker. Also, we discuss the Kemeny constant, which gives the average number of steps necessary to reach any site of the network. Throughout this work, we analyze the mechanisms behind fractional transport on circulant networks and how this long-range process dynamically induces the small-world property in different structures.