The Roles of Phase Transition in Multi-Agent Performance Regulation

Kouji HARADA
Tetuo KINOSHITA

Publication
IEICE TRANSACTIONS on Information and Systems   Vol.E88-D    No.9    pp.2039-2046
Publication Date: 2005/09/01
Online ISSN: 
DOI: 10.1093/ietisy/e88-d.9.2039
Print ISSN: 0916-8532
Type of Manuscript: Special Section PAPER (Special Section on Software Agent and Its Applications)
Category: 
Keyword: 
multi-agent system,  Huberman-Hogg model,  resource allocation,  time delay,  phase transition,  dynamical bifurcation,  

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Summary: 
The resource allocation problem in multi-agent systems is one of the crucial problems hindering the development of multi-agent technologies. This study demonstrates that "time delay" functions as an effective factor in a resource allocation, contrasting to the conventional real-time oriented multi-agent paradigm by 1) introducing a "fickle" agent, whose own strategy fluctuates randomly, and 2) an agent repository mechanism. This study also demonstrates that in the resource allocation process, time delay induces dramatic changes in performance, the specific phenomenon is the so-called "phase transition phenomenon". This finding means emergence of the phase transition is cited as a major factor governing multi-agent system performance. This knowledge is of essential importance in the regulation in multi-agent performance.

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