The effect of interaction radius on Vicsek particles in the presence of geometrical constraints.

Vicsek's minimal model for self-propelled particles has been widely applied to simulate the behavior of flocking birds and swarming bacteria. Most studies have considered scenarios where particles move in infinite simulation domains or are confined at most at the boundaries. However, almost all biological systems inhabit environments with geometrical constraints. Consequently, this has spurred recent investigations of the model's behavior when obstacles are introduced in the simulation domain. In this talk, we will present our study which investigates the influence the particle's interaction radius has on the collective behavior that can be attained in the presence of geometric obstacles. We will discuss how the coupling between the particle's interaction radius and characteristic length of the geometrical constraints leads to the emergence of a bifurcation in the polarization, and the subsequent ramifications this has on the achievable collective states of the system.