On co-evolution and the importance of initial conditions

We present a generic threshold model for the co-evolution of the structure of a network and the binary state of its nodes. We focus on regular directed networks and derive equations for the evolution of the system toward its absorbing state. It is shown that the system displays a transition from a connected phase to a fragmented phase, and that this transition is driven by the initial configuration of the system, as different initial conditions may lead to drastically different final configurations. Computer simulations are performed and confirm the theoretical predictions.