(171m) Biomimetic Swarm of Polar Active Particles at Microscale

Inspired by the collective dynamics in flocks of birds, herds of deer, and schools of fish, we report the development of long-range organized movement and directional flows in self-propelled microswimmers. This interaction, a combination of active movement and passive forces, triggers a significant shift from a disordered to an aligned state. We explain how this extensive order arises in large areas at certain densities and can be externally initiated, independent of the particles' self-propulsion, leading to massive flow in a direction determined by symmetry breaking.