Lyapunov stability analysis of a mosquito-inspired swarm model

Self-propelled particle models have been used to study the collective behavior of animal groups such as fish schools and bird flocks, and these models have also been useful in designing control strategies for fleets of autonomous vehicles. In this paper, we construct a dynamical particle model inspired by mating swarms of wild mosquitoes. The model generates three different behaviors (swarming, velocity alignment, and pursuit) by switching the model parameters. Behaviors are generated by interaction forces based on springs and dampers. Previous studies of mosquito flight data suggest proximity in the velocity space, as well as the spatial distance, may determine the type of interaction. The stability properties of the velocity-alignment behavior, which generates intermittent parallel motion, and its effect on the success of the pursuit behavior are studied using Lyapunov analysis. The results presented in this paper may yield new understanding of the function of male-male interactions observed in mating swarms.