Spatially Structured Flocking in a Proliferating Population of Self-Propelled Organisms without Explicit Alignment Interactions

Abstract

While it is well established that self-propelled particles with alignment interactions can exhibit orientational order, the impact of self-replication and annihilation, which are key characteristics in cellular systems, on spatiotemporal order remains poorly understood. To explore the interplay between self-propulsion and self-replication, we introduce the active Brownian bug (ABB) model, in which self-propelled agents undergo stochastic, density-dependent replication and constant-rate death. Despite the absence of alignment interactions, the system exhibits flocking behavior characterized by high orientational order, while maintaining ordered hexagonal arrays. This emergent order arises from stochastic birth and death processes, offering a novel mechanism for flocking in proliferating cellular populations.