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In this work, we explore how the emergence of collective motion in a system of particles is influenced by the structure of their domain. Using the Vicsek model to generate flocking, we simulate two-dimensional systems that are confined based on varying obstacle arrangements. The presence of obstacles alters the topological structure of the domain where collective motion occurs, which, in turn, alters the scaling behavior. We evaluate these trends by considering the scaling exponent and critical noise threshold for the Vicsek model, as well as the associated diffusion properties of the system. We show that obstacles tend to inhibit collective motion by forcing particles to traverse the system based on curved trajectories that reflect the domain topology. Our results highlight key challenges related to the development of a more comprehensive understanding of geometric structure's influence on collective behavior.
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Undergraduate Tutorial for Simulating Flocking with the Vicsek Model
ABSTRACT There are many instances of collective behaviors in the natural world. For example, eukaryotic cells coordinate their motion to heal wounds; bacteria swarm during colony expansion; defects in alignment in growing bacterial populations lead to biofilm growth; and birds move within dynamic flocks. Although the details of how these groups behave vary across animals and species, they share the same qualitative feature: they exhibit collective behaviors that are not simple extensions of details associated with the motion of an individual. To learn more about these biological systems, we propose studying these systems through the lens of the foundational Vicsek model. Here, we present the process of building this computational model from scratch in a tutorial format that focuses on building the appropriate skills of an undergraduate student. In doing so, an undergraduate student should be able to work alongside this article, the corresponding tutorial, and the original manuscript of the Vicsek model to build their own model. We conclude by summarizing some of the current work involving computational modeling of flocking with Vicsek-type models.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2402345
- PAR ID:
- 10486331
- Publisher / Repository:
- https://meridian.allenpress.com/the-biophysicist/article/4/1/30/495200/Undergraduate-Tutorial-for-Simulating-Flocking
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- The Biophysicist
- Volume:
- 4
- Issue:
- 1
- ISSN:
- 2578-6970
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 30 to 37
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
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Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.35459/tbp.2022.000227
