Binary Mixtures of Intelligent Active Brownian Particles with Visual Perception

TL;DR

This paper explores the complex collective behaviors of binary mixtures of active Brownian particles with visual perception, revealing diverse nonequilibrium structures and dynamics influenced by steering mechanisms and interaction parameters.

Contribution

It introduces a novel model of active Brownian particles with vision-based, nonreciprocal steering, systematically analyzing emergent structures and behaviors in binary mixtures.

Findings

Formation of multimers, aggregates, and honeycomb lattices.

Predator-prey spatial distribution affected by maneuverability.

Enhanced diffusion at intermediate activity levels.

Abstract

The collective properties of a binary mixture of A- and B-type self-steering particles endowed with visual perception are studied by computer simulations. Active Brownian particles are employed with an additional steering mechanism, which enables them to adjust their propulsion direction relative to the instantaneous positions of neighboring particles, depending on the species, either steering toward or away from them. Steering can be nonreciprocal between the A- and B-type particles. The underlying dynamical and structural properties of the system are governed by the strength and polarity of the maneuverabilities associated with the vision-induced steering. The model predicts the emergence of a large variety of nonequilibrium behaviors, which we systematically characterize for all nine principal sign combinations of AA, BB, AB and BA maneuverabilites. In particular, we observe the formation of multimers, encapsulated aggregates, honeycomb lattices, and predator-prey pursuit. Notably, for a predator-prey system, the maneuverability and vision angle employed by a predator significantly impacts the spatial distribution of the surrounding prey particles. For systems with electric-charge-like interactions and non-stochiometric composition, we obtain at intermediate activity levels an enhanced diffusion compared to non-steering active Brownian particles.