Metric preserving directed graph symmetrization

This work presents a new method for symmetrization of directed graphs that constructs an undirected graph with equivalent pairwise effective resistances as a given directed graph. Consequently a graph metric, square root of effective resistance, is preserved between the directed graph and its symmetrized version. It is shown that the preservation of this metric allows for interpretation of algebraic and spectral properties of the symmetrized graph in the context of the directed graph, due to the relationship between effective resistance and the Laplacian spectrum. Additionally, Lyapunov theory is used to demonstrate that the Laplacian matrix of a directed graph can be decomposed into the product of a projection matrix, a skew symmetric matrix, and the Laplacian matrix of the symmetrized graph. The application of effective resistance preserving graph symmetrization is discussed in the context of spectral graph partitioning and Kron reduction of directed graphs.