Lane formation and aggregation spots in a model of ants

<p>We investigate an interacting particle model to simulate a foraging colony of ants, where each ant is represented as an active Brownian particle. The interactions among ants are mediated through chemotaxis, aligning their orientations with the upward gradient of the pheromone field. Unlike...

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Main Authors: Bruna, M, Burger, M, de Wit, O
Format: Journal article
Language:English
Published: Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics 2024
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author Bruna, M
Burger, M
de Wit, O
author_facet Bruna, M
Burger, M
de Wit, O
author_sort Bruna, M
collection OXFORD
description <p>We investigate an interacting particle model to simulate a foraging colony of ants, where each ant is represented as an active Brownian particle. The interactions among ants are mediated through chemotaxis, aligning their orientations with the upward gradient of the pheromone field. Unlike conventional models, our study introduces a parameter that enables the reproduction of two distinctive behaviors: the well-known Keller&ndash;Segel aggregation into spots and the formation of traveling clusters, without relying on external constraints such as food sources or nests. We consider the associated mean-field limit partial differential equation (PDE) of this system and establish the analytical and numerical foundations for understanding these particle behaviors. Remarkably, the mean-field PDE not only supports aggregation spots and lane formation but also unveils a bistable region where these two behaviors compete. The patterns associated with these phenomena are elucidated by the shape of the growing eigenfunctions derived from linear stability analysis. This study not only contributes to our understanding of complex ant colony dynamics but also introduces a novel parameter-dependent perspective on pattern formation in collective systems.</p>
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spelling oxford-uuid:6e036e77-7c1d-470e-a5ba-bee0088f434c2025-02-10T12:17:58ZLane formation and aggregation spots in a model of antsJournal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:6e036e77-7c1d-470e-a5ba-bee0088f434cEnglishSymplectic ElementsSociety for Industrial and Applied Mathematics2024Bruna, MBurger, Mde Wit, O<p>We investigate an interacting particle model to simulate a foraging colony of ants, where each ant is represented as an active Brownian particle. The interactions among ants are mediated through chemotaxis, aligning their orientations with the upward gradient of the pheromone field. Unlike conventional models, our study introduces a parameter that enables the reproduction of two distinctive behaviors: the well-known Keller&ndash;Segel aggregation into spots and the formation of traveling clusters, without relying on external constraints such as food sources or nests. We consider the associated mean-field limit partial differential equation (PDE) of this system and establish the analytical and numerical foundations for understanding these particle behaviors. Remarkably, the mean-field PDE not only supports aggregation spots and lane formation but also unveils a bistable region where these two behaviors compete. The patterns associated with these phenomena are elucidated by the shape of the growing eigenfunctions derived from linear stability analysis. This study not only contributes to our understanding of complex ant colony dynamics but also introduces a novel parameter-dependent perspective on pattern formation in collective systems.</p>
spellingShingle Bruna, M
Burger, M
de Wit, O
Lane formation and aggregation spots in a model of ants
title Lane formation and aggregation spots in a model of ants
title_full Lane formation and aggregation spots in a model of ants
title_fullStr Lane formation and aggregation spots in a model of ants
title_full_unstemmed Lane formation and aggregation spots in a model of ants
title_short Lane formation and aggregation spots in a model of ants
title_sort lane formation and aggregation spots in a model of ants
work_keys_str_mv AT brunam laneformationandaggregationspotsinamodelofants
AT burgerm laneformationandaggregationspotsinamodelofants
AT dewito laneformationandaggregationspotsinamodelofants