Link cascade failure in directed networks with higher-order structures

In the field of complex networks, cascade failure has been widely studied due to its ubiquity and profound impact. While in recent years, the conceptualization of "higher-order structures" has brought the research of complex networks to a new stage. However, the effect of higher-order structures on cascade failure dynamics remains to be understood. In this study, we consider a link cascade failure mechanism in combination with higher-order structures. In the process of link cascade failure, we find that the network robustness would be affected by the nodes' ability to withstand link loss and the proportion of higher-order structures, corresponding to the changes in the critical point and the type of phase transition. These findings have been examined in the modeled and real directed networks. Interestingly, in empirical networks, we find that for networks with larger average shortest paths (e.g. US Airlines), the impact of higher-order structures on network robustness is more prominent.