Boids in a Loop: Self-Propelled particles within a Flexible Boundary

Abstract: We numerically explore the behavior of repelling and aligning self-propelled polar particles (boids) in 2D enclosed by a damped flexible and elastic loop-shaped boundary. We observe disordered, polar ordered (or jammed) and circulating states. The latter produce a rich variety of boundary shapes including; circles, ovals, irregulars, ruffles, or sprockets, depending upon the bending moment of the boundary and the boundary to particle mass ratio. With the exception of the circulating states with non-round boundaries, states resemble those exhibited by attracting self-propelled particles, but here the confining boundary acts in place of a cohesive force. We attribute the formation of ruffles to instability mediated by pressure on the boundary when the speed of waves on the boundary approximately matches the self-propelled particle's swim speed.