Emergence of collective motion in a model of interacting Brownian particles

Abstract: By studying a system of Brownian particles, interacting only through a local social-like force (velocity alignment), we show that self-propulsion is not a necessary feature for the flocking transition to take place as long as underdamped particle dynamics can be guaranteed. Moreover, the system transits from stationary phases close to thermal equilibrium, with no net flux of particles, to far-from-equilibrium ones exhibiting collective motion, long-range order and giant number fluctuations, features typically associated to ordered phases of models where self-propulsion is considered.