Effect of sensory blind zones on milling behavior in a dynamic self-propelled particle model

Abstract

Emergent pattern formation in self-propelled particle (SPP) systems is extensively studied because it addresses a range of swarming phenomena that occur without leadership. Here we present a dynamic SPP model in which a sensory blind zone is introduced into each particle's zone of interaction. Using numerical simulations, we discovered that the degradation of milling patterns with increasing blind zone ranges undergoes two distinct transitions, including a spatially non-homogeneous transition that involves cessation of particles' motion caused by broken symmetries in the interaction fields. Our results also show the necessity of nearly complete panoramic sensory ability for milling behavior to emerge in dynamic SPP models, suggesting a possible relationship between collective behavior and the sensory systems of biological organisms.