IISER MOHALI

Abstract: The formation and dynamics of swarms are widespread in living systems—from bacterial biofilms to schools of fish and flocks of birds. These collective behaviors emerge from the dynamic response of self-propelled agents to various input signals [1, 2]. We investigate these emergent patterns through agent-based simulations of intelligent activeBrownian particles (iABPs). Beyond conventional active Brownian motion, each agent adjusts its propulsion direction based on information about the position and orientation of neighbors—obtained through directed visual and isotropic perception, respectively.Visual maneuverability and polar alignment drive self-organization, with the sign of maneuverability determining whether agents steer toward [1] or away from one another[3, 4]. This leads to diverse behaviors such as worms, aggregates, coexistence phases,bands, squirming, and overcautious distancing [1, 4].
In binary mixtures of A- and B-type self-steering particles, the dynamics become even richer. Steering is type-dependent and can be nonreciprocal between particle types [5]. The emergent behavior is governed by the strength and polarity of vision-induced maneuverabilities. By exploring all nine principal combinations of AA, BB,AB, and BA maneuverabilities, we uncover a wide range of nonequilibrium phases,including multimers, encapsulated aggregates, honeycomb lattices, and predator-prey pursuit dynamics. Remarkably, in predator-prey settings, the maneuverability and vision angle of predators strongly influence prey distribution. Moreover, systems withcharge-like interactions and non-stoichiometric compositions display enhanced diffusion at intermediate activity—surpassing that of standard active Brownian particles.

References:
[1] R. S. Negi, R. G. Winkler, and G. Gompper, Emergent collective behavior of active Brownian particles with visual perception, Soft Matter 18, 6167 (2022).
[2] R. S. Negi, R. G. Winkler, and G. Gompper, Collective behavior of self-steering particles with velocity alignment and visual perception, Phys. Rev. Res. 6, 013118 (2024).
[3] P. Iyer, R. S. Negi, A. Schadschneider, and G. Gompper, Directed motion of cognitive active agents in a crowded three-way intersection, Commun. Phys. 7, 379 (2024).
[4] R. S. Negi, P. Iyer, and G. Gompper, Controlling inter-particle distances in crowds of motile, cognitive, active particles, Sci. Rep. 14, 9443 (2024).
[5] R. S. Negi, R. G. Winkler, and G. Gompper, Binary mixture of self-steering particles with visual perception, arXiv 2025.