Soft_configuration_model
Soft configuration model
Random graph model in applied mathematics
In applied mathematics, the soft configuration model (SCM) is a random graph model subject to the principle of maximum entropy under constraints on the expectation of the degree sequence of sampled graphs.[1] Whereas the configuration model (CM) uniformly samples random graphs of a specific degree sequence, the SCM only retains the specified degree sequence on average over all network realizations; in this sense the SCM has very relaxed constraints relative to those of the CM ("soft" rather than "sharp" constraints[2]). The SCM for graphs of size has a nonzero probability of sampling any graph of size , whereas the CM is restricted to only graphs having precisely the prescribed connectivity structure.