Generalised heat kernel invariants of a graph and application to object clustering.

In recent years, the heat kernel has proven to be a valuable tool for graph characterization and graph-based object clustering. It serves as the fundamental solution to the heat diffusion equation associated with the discrete graph Laplacian, describing how information flows across graph edges over time by exponentiating the Laplacian eigensystem. This paper focuses on the novel concept of the generalized heat kernel of a network, recently introduced by Kalala Mutombo et al. These authors build upon the k-path Laplacian operator for graphs, pioneered by Estrada et al., to incorporate long-range interactions (LRI) into information transmission across nodes and edges of a network/graph. LRI are handled through the use of Mellin and Laplace transforms. This paper makes a notable contribution by highlighting the practical application of the generalized heat kernel. We achieve this by demonstrating the effectiveness of the generalised heat kernel invariants in object clustering with real data using principal component analysis (PCA). Moreover, we investigate how incorporating long-range interactions (LRI) impacts object characterization and clustering, revealing superior results compared to conventional diffusion methods. Through experimentation, we show that object clustering remains achievable even with small values of the Mellin and Laplace parameters, contrasting with the requirement of an infinite value in the absence of LRI. • Application of graph generalised heat kernel invariants in object clustering via PCA. • Long-range interactions enhance graph-based object clustering. • Object clustering achieved with small Mellin/Laplace parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]