Non-reciprocal visual perception and polar alignment drive collective states in chiral active particles

Abstract

Self-propelled particles rarely move in straight lines; environmental interactions, shape asymmetry, and intrinsic torques generically induce curved or fluctuating trajectories. In biological and synthetic systems, this curvature often coexists with directional sensing and non-reciprocal interactions. Motivated by this, we explore the collective dynamics of chiral intelligent active Brownian particles (iABPs) that combine polar alignment with vision-based sensing. By varying the ratio of alignment to visual maneuverability, the vision angle, and the reduced chirality $(\omega/D_r)$, we construct a phase diagram exhibiting diverse collective states: spinners, vortices, ripples, worm-like swarms, rotary clusters, and irregular aggregates. Chirality critically governs their morphology: high chirality yields dilute phases, while moderate to low chirality produces cohesive yet dynamic patterns. Ripple loops emerge as a distinct state, characterized by expanding ring-like motion driven by outward torques and sustained only when both particle number and visual maneuverability are large. Structural and dynamical measures, including polarization, pair correlations, mean-square displacement, and orientation correlations, reveal clear signatures distinguishing these phases. Overall, our results show how chirality, non-reciprocal perception, and alignment together generate collective states inaccessible to non-chiral systems, with implications for chiral active matter in biological and synthetic contexts.