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Updated: Oct 18, 2026

The Large-Scale Cultivation of Nematodes to Study Their Collective Behaviors
Published on: August 25, 2023
Collective turns in spinless flocks
Joao Lizárraga1, Marcus A M de Aguiar1
1Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Física Gleb Wataghin, Unicamp 13083-970, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil.
Abstract:
Using a minimal aggregation-based model, we address the efficient information transfer observed in natural flocks during collective turns. In our system, the turning signal emitted by a single individual propagates throughout the collective primarily at a constant speed. To characterize the source of this capability, we analyze the system in the continuum limit. Thus, we demonstrate that wave-propagating features arise solely from the nonreciprocal nature of interactions. We explore spectral anomalies that emerge due to this mechanism and provide an explanation through a perturbative analysis. Remarkably, within this scenario, the description of velocity fluctuations is found to follow a structure analogous to a Born approximation. Our model can be extended to study other physical contexts exhibiting polar order, and our arguments can be tested in natural systems.
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