Collective ballistic motion explains fast aggregation in adhesive active matter

Abstract: Inspired by motile cells during tissue formation, we identify a mechanism by which active systems of self-aligning adhesive particles undergo ballistic aggregation via a flocking transition. This kinetic regime emerges when the cluster persistence length grows faster with cluster mass than the intercluster distance does. We also characterize and explain the emergence of distinct non-collective kinetic regimes, including long-lived transients relevant to biological systems. Our results provide a unified framework consistent with the broad range of aggregation exponents experimentally observed in cellular systems and uncover physical principles which may enable timely tissue organization