Author: ZmnSCPxj 2019-08-13 04:23:31
Published on: 2019-08-13T04:23:31+00:00
The authors argue that in a network of n connected nodes, there is a tendency towards a state where exactly n-1 channels have perfectly balanced flows in the two directions ("self-balancing" channels), while all other channels are either unused, or have a permanent tendency towards imbalance. They note that the "self-balancing" channels form a spanning tree of the network graph, which they call the "core spanning tree" of the payment network. The worst-case scenario for this would be a single central hub with n-1 channels to n-1 client nodes, with the hub itself as the nth node. However, the minimum of n-1 channels would not remain stable for long given an actual real-world where change is the steady-state. In such situations, any "extra, unneeded" channels would end up catching the additional capacity need as various innovations and improvements in the economy occur and create change in demand and supply.
Updated on: 2023-06-02T19:50:18.328541+00:00