Miller M, Toner J. Following Your Nose: Autochemotaxis and Other Mechanisms for Spinodal Decomposition in Flocks.
PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2024;
132:128301. [PMID:
38579229 DOI:
10.1103/physrevlett.132.128301]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2023] [Revised: 12/07/2023] [Accepted: 02/05/2024] [Indexed: 04/07/2024]
Abstract
We develop the hydrodynamic theory of dry, polar ordered, active matter ("flocking") with autochemotaxis; i.e., self-propelled entities moving in the same direction, each emitting a substance which attracts the others (e.g., ants). We find that sufficiently strong autochemotaxis leads to an instability to phase separation into one high and one low density band. This is very analogous to both equilibrium phase separation, and "motility induced phase separation" and can occur in flocks due to any microscopic mechanism (e.g., sufficiently strong attractive interactions) that makes the entities cohere.
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