Thermodynamically consistent flocking: From discontinuous to continuous transitions

TL;DR

This paper introduces thermodynamically consistent lattice-gas models of flocking, analyzes their hydrodynamics, and reveals how self-propulsion influences phase transitions, including tricritical points and novel flocking behaviors.

Contribution

It develops a new class of flocking models with proper equilibrium limits and exact coarse-graining, linking their behavior to Model C universality and tricritical phenomena.

Findings

Equilibrium limit belongs to Model C universality class.

Self-propulsion causes non-perturbative changes in phase behavior.

Different aligning interactions lead to distinct flocking transition scenarios.

Abstract

We introduce a family of lattice-gas models of flocking, whose thermodynamically consistent dynamics admits a proper equilibrium limit at vanishing self-propulsion. These models are amenable to an exact coarse-graining which allows us to study their hydrodynamic behavior analytically. We show that the equilibrium limit here belongs to the universality class of Model C, and that it generically exhibits tricritical behavior. Self-propulsion has a non-perturbative effect on the phase diagram, yielding novel phase behaviors depending on the type of aligning interactions. For aligning interactions that increase monotonically with the density, the tricritical point diverges to infinite density reproducing the standard scenario of a discontinuous flocking transition accompanied by traveling bands. In contrast, for models where the aligning interaction is non-monotonic in density, the system can exhibit either (the nonequilibrium counterpart of) an azeotropic point, associated with a continuous flocking transition, or a state with counterpropagating bands.