Nonquenched rotators ease flocking and memorize it

Abstract

We introduce a minimal model for a two-dimensional polar flock with nonquenched rotators and show that the rotators make the usual macroscopic long-range order of the flock more robust than the clean system. The rotators memorize the flock-information which helps in establishing the robustness. Moreover, the memory of the rotators assists in probing the moving flock. We also formulate a hydrodynamic framework for the microscopic model that makes our study comprehensive. Using linearized hydrodynamics, it is shown that the presence of such nonquenched heterogeneities increases the sound speeds of the flock. The enhanced sound speeds lead to faster convection of information and consequently the robust ordering in the system. We argue that similar nonquenched heterogeneities may be useful in monitoring and controlling large crowds. © 2020 American Physical Society.