The role of detachment of in-links in scale-free networks

Real-world networks may exhibit a detachment phenomenon determined by the canceling of previously existing connections. We discuss a tractable extension of the Yule model to account for this feature. Analytical results are derived and discussed both asymptotically and for a finite number of links. Comparison with the original model is performed in the supercritical case. The first-order asymptotic tail behavior of the two models is similar but differences arise in the second-order term. We explicitly refer to world wide web modeling and we show the agreement of the proposed model on very recent data. However, other possible network applications are also mentioned. (paper)