Connection of Signed and Unsigned Networks Based on Solving Linear Dynamic Systems

In signed networks, the cooperation and antagonism cause great difficulties for their behavior analysis, especially, when they are subject to time-varying topologies. This is different from unsigned networks involving only cooperations, of which behavior analysis can be feasibly achieved based on the nonnegative matrix theory. With these facts, this article first bridges a relation between signed and unsigned networks and then takes advantage of the relation for the behavior analysis of signed networks under directed switching topologies. In particular, a solution is provided for the connection of signed and unsigned networks via solving a class of linear dynamic systems, which is obtained by separating antagonisms from cooperations. The solution makes it possible to employ the convergence results for unsigned networks to address the convergence issues for signed networks. If the joint spanning tree condition is met, then switching signed networks can achieve the quasi-interval bipartite consensus. Moreover, the established results can be applied to signed networks with both continuous-time and discrete-time dynamics.