Shortest-path percolation on scale-free networks
We study how scale-free networks lose connectivity when edges are systematically removed along shortest paths between randomly selected node pairs. Through large-scale simulations, we find that the percolation transition is identical to that observed on Erdős–Rényi networks, denoting independence from the degree exponent. A key discovery is that the removal process drastically homogenizes the heterogeneous structure of scale-free networks before the transition takes place.