Analysis of k-Connectivity of a Cognitive Radio Ad-Hoc Network

The cognitive radio paradigm will allow the formation of spontaneous wireless networks able to communicate in spectrum bands temporarily left free by licensed primary users. The behavior of the primary users has a high influence on the network connectivity and impacts the performance of the Cognitive Radio Network (CRN). When an ad-hoc network is established among cognitive radio nodes, not only the position of nodes but also the activity of the primary users impacts the network connectivity. The aim of this paper is twofold on one side it provides a methodology to evaluate the k-connectivity of a cognitive radio ad-hoc network. The Laplacian matrix is here extended in order to include the primary users behavior and to evaluate the degree of connectivity of a CRN On the other side this study allows a deep analysis of the network connectivity and of the impact that different parameters can have on it. In this work some representative case studies are analyzed. The results are important for evaluating the proposed methodology and for understanding the behavior of the network connectivity in a wireless multi-hop cognitive radio network.