Emergent collective behavior of active Brownian particles with visual perception

Area of Science:

• Physics
• Complex Systems
• Statistical Mechanics

Background:

• Active Brownian particles (ABPs) exhibit self-propulsion and orientational dynamics.
• Flocking models describe emergent collective behavior in systems of self-propelled agents.
• Cognitive flocking introduces agent perception and limited maneuverability into flocking models.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate self-organized structures in a minimal cognitive flocking model of active Brownian particles.
• To analyze the influence of visual input, excluded-volume interactions, and parameter values on emergent structures.
• To characterize the dynamics and diffusion of particles within different emergent phases.

Main Methods:

• Simulations of active Brownian particles with an orientational response to visual input within a defined vision cone and cut-off radius.
• Analysis of emergent structures in 2D, including worms, worm-aggregate coexistence, and hexagonally close-packed structures.
• Construction of phase diagrams based on parameter values and particle interactions.
• Analysis of mean-square displacement and cluster-growth dynamics.

Main Results:

• The system exhibits large-scale self-organized structures dependent on parameter values and excluded-volume interactions.
• Emergent structures include worms, worm-aggregate coexistence, and hexagonally close-packed phases.
• Dilute systems and the worm phase show active Brownian particle-like dynamics.
• Densely packed structures display reduced active diffusion coefficients dependent on cluster size.
• Cluster growth and decay dynamics are slower compared to equilibrium systems due to non-reciprocal visual perception.

Conclusions:

• Cognitive flocking models with limited maneuverability and directed visual perception lead to diverse self-organized structures.
• The interplay between active Brownian particle interactions (volume exclusion, rotational diffusion) and cognitive navigation is crucial for emergent behavior.
• The non-reciprocal nature of visual perception significantly impacts cluster dynamics, differentiating it from equilibrium systems.