Hysteresis and criticality in hybrid percolation transitions.

Phase transitions (PTs) are generally classified into second-order and first-order transitions, each exhibiting different intrinsic properties. For instance, a first-order transition exhibits latent heat and hysteresis when a control parameter is increased and then decreased across a transition point, whereas a second-order transition does not. Recently, hybrid percolation transitions (HPTs) are issued in diverse complex systems, in which the features of first-order and second-order PTs occur at the same transition point. Thus, the question whether hysteresis appears in an HPT arises. Herein, we investigate this fundamental question with a so-called restricted Erdős-Rényi random network model, in which a cluster fragmentation process is additionally proposed. A hysteresis curve of the order parameter was obtained. Depending on when the reverse process is initiated, the shapes of hysteresis curves change, and the critical behavior of the HPT is conserved throughout the forward and reverse processes.