Hohenberg-Mermin-Wagner type theorems for equilibrium models of flocking

Abstract

We study a class of two-dimensional models of classical hard-core particles with Vicsek-type "exchange interaction" that aligns the directions of motion of nearby particles. By extending the Hohenberg-Mermin-Wagner theorem for the absence of spontaneous magnetization and the McBryan-Spencer bound for correlation functions, we prove that the models do not spontaneously break the rotational symmetry in their equilibrium states at any nonzero temperature. We thus conclude that the mobility of particles alone does not account for the spontaneous symmetry breaking in Vicsek type models. The origin of the symmetry breaking must be sought in the absence of detailed balance condition, or, equivalently, in the nonequilibrium nature.