Fernando Peruani

Professor of Theoretical Physics · Active & Living Matter


Publications

Full profile on Google Scholar.

Journal articles & preprints

Zoology of collective patterns modulated by non-reciprocal long-range interactions
E. Brigatti, F. Peruani
to appear in Soft Matter (2026) [see arXiv]
Confinement controls bacterial spreading at all scales
R. Baillou, M. Pedrosa, Q. Guique, S. Meinier, T. Damige, G. Junot, F. Peruani, E. Clement
to appear in Royal Soc. Interface (2026) [see arXiv]
Resources and population dynamics in an agent-environment interaction model
G. Briozzo, G. Sibona, F. Peruani
to appear in Phys. Rev. E (2026) [see arXiv]
Active stop and go motion: a strategy to improve spatial exploration and survival
F. Peruani, D. Chaudhuri
Phys. Rev. E 112, L033402 (2025)
Spreading processes on heterogeneous active systems: spreading threshold, immunization strategies, and vaccination noise
B. Marcolongo, G. Sibona, F. Peruani
Phys. Rev. E 112, L032303 (2025)
Activity leads to topological phase transition in 2D populations of heterogeneous oscillators
Y. Rouzaire, P. Rahmani, I. Pagonabarraga, F. Peruani, D. Levis
Phys. Rev. Lett. 134, 188301 (2025)
The 2025 motile active matter roadmap
G. Gompper, H. Stone, C. Kurzthaler, D. Saintillan, F. Peruani, et al.
J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 37, 143501 (2025)
Self-trapping of active particles with nonreciprocal interactions in disordered media
R Saavedra, F Peruani
Physical Review E 110 (6), 064602 (2024).
Structural dynamics and optimal transport of an active polymer
H Khalilian, F Peruani, J Sarabadani
Soft Matter 20 (38), 7592-7600 (2024).
A generic coupling between between internal states and activity leads to activation fronts and criticality in active systems
H. Gascuel, P. Rahmani, R. Bon, F. Peruani
Phys. Rev. Lett. 133 (5), 058301 (2024).
Assessing the forecasting power of mean-field approaches for disease spreading using active systems
B. Marcolongo, F. Peruani, G. Sibona
Physica A 648, 129916 (2024)
When does an active bath behave as an equilibrium one?
S. Khali, F. Peruani, D. Chaudhuri
Phys. Rev. E 109(2), 024120 (2024)
Active stop and go motion: a strategy to improve spatial exploration?
F. Peruani and D. Chaudhuri
arXiv (2023). (appeared as Phys. Rev. E 112, L033402 in 2025)
Vectorial Active Matter on the Lattice: polar condensates and nematic filaments
J. Nava-Sedeño, H. Hatzikirou, A. Deutsch, F. Peruani
New J. of Physics 25 (12), 123046 (2023).
Reversible adhesion by type IV pili leads to formation of irreversible localized clusters
M.V. Pepe, C. Dea, C. Genskowsky, D. Capasso, A.V. Jäger, F. Peruani, A. Kierbel
iScience (2022).
Intermittent collective motion in sheep results from alternating the role of leader and follower
L. Gómez-Nava, R. Bon, F. Peruani
Nature Physics (2022)
Read broad audience synopsis on this work in Le Monde / Pour la Science, etc. Also read News & Views on the article in Nature Physics by C. Huepe
Coordination of two opposite flagella allows high-speed swimming and active turning of individual zoospores
Q.D. Tran, E. Galiana, P. Thomen, C. Cohen, F. Orange, F. Peruani, X. Noblin
eLife 11, e71227 (2022).
Read News & Views on the article in Nature
Statistics of pathogenic bacteria in the search of host cells
S. Otte, E. Perez-Ipiña, R. Pointer-Bres, D. Czerucka, F. Peruani
Nature Communications 12, 1990 (2021).
Revisiting the emergence of order in active matter
O. Chepizhko, D. Saintillan, F. Peruani
Soft Matter 17, 3113-3120 (2021).
Deciphering interacting neighbours in animal groups
H. Gascuel, F. Peruani, R. Bon
Animal Behaviour (2021).
Topological flocking models in spatially heterogeneous environments
P. Rahmani, F. Peruani, P. Romanczuk
Communications Physics 4 (1), 206 (2021).
Kinetic and macroscopic models for active particles exploring complex environments with an internal navigation control system
L. Gómez Nava, T. Goudon, F. Peruani
Mathematical Models and Methods in Applied Sciences 31 (08), 1691-1717 (2021)
Comment les bactéries explorent les surfaces
F. Peruani
Reflets de la physique 68, 16-19 (2021)
A particle-field representation unifies paradigms in active matter
R. Grossmann, I. Aranson, F. Peruani
Nature Communications 11, 5365 (2020)
Learning to flock through reinforcement
M. Durve, F. Peruani, A. Celani
Phys. Rev. E 102, 012601 (2020).
Novel approach to chemotaxis: active particles guided by internal clocks
L. Gómez Nava, R. Grossmann, M. Hintsche, C. Beta, F. Peruani
EPL 130, 68002 (2020).
M. Bär, R. Grossmann, S. Heidenreich, F. Peruani, Annu. Rev. Condens. Matter Phys. 11, 441 (2020).
The 2020 motile active matter roadmap
G. Gompper et al.
J. Phys. Condens. Matter 32, 193001 (2020).
Contributed section: self-organized collective patterns in active matter
Modeling collective cell motion: are on- and off-lattice models equivalent?
J. M. Nava-Sedeno, A. Voß-Böhme, H. Hatzikirou, A. Deutsch, F. Peruani
Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B 375, 20190378 (2020).
Flocking in complex environments – Attention trade-offs in Collective Information Processing
P. Rahmani, F. Peruani, P. Romanczuk
PLoS Comput. Biol. 16(4), e1007697 (2020).
Bacteria display optimal transport near surfaces
E. Perez-Ipiña, S. Otte, R. Pointer-Bres, D. Czerucka, F. Peruani
Nature Physics 15, 610-615 (2019) [https://doi.org/10.1038/s41567-019-0460-5]
Read the Synopsis by Ingrid Fadelli in Phys.org. The article was also covered in a news outlet: Nice Matin
Reaction processes among self-propelled particles
F. Peruani, G. Sibona
Soft Matter 15, 497-503 (2019)
An ant navigation model based on Weber's law
P. Amorim, T. Goudon, F. Peruani
Journal of Mathematical Biology 78, 943-984 (2019)
Cold Active Matter: How Time-Independent Disorder Affects the Motion of Self-Propelled Agents
F. Peruani, I. Aranson
Phys. Rev. Lett. 120, 238101 (2018)
The paper has been selected by Phys. Rev. Lett. as an Editor’s Suggestion
Markovian microrobots: minimal navigation strategies for active particles
L. Gómez-Nava, R. Grossmann, F. Peruani
Phys. Rev. E 97, 042604 (2018).
A polar bundle of flagella can drive bacterial swimming by pushing, pulling, or coiling around the cell body
M. Hintsche, V. Waljor, R. Grossmann, M. J. Kuhn, K. M. Thormann, F. Peruani, C. Beta
Scientific Reports 7, 16771 (2017).
Hydrodynamic equations for flocking models without alignment
F. Peruani
J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. 86, 101010 (2017).
Extracting cellular automaton rules from physical Langevin equation models for single and collective cell migration
J. Nava, L. Brusch, F. Peruani, A. Deutsch
Journal of Mathematical Biology (2017).
Large-scale patterns in a minimal cognitive flocking model: Incidental leaders, nematic patterns, and aggregates
L. Barberis, F. Peruani
Phys. Rev. Lett. 117, 248001 (2016)
Read the Synopsis: "Flocks Without Memory" by Matteo Rini in Physics: http://physics.aps.org/synopsis-for/10.1103/PhysRevLett.117.248001 — also covered in other outlets (e.g., https://nplus1.ru/news/2016/12/13/school-of-fish-flock-of-bird)
Mesoscale pattern formation of self-propelled rods with velocity reversal
R. Grossmann, F. Peruani, M. Bär
Phys. Rev. E 94, 050602 (Rapid Comm.) (2016)
Superdiffusion, large-scale synchronization, and topological defects
R. Grossmann, F. Peruani, M. Bär
Phys. Rev. E 93, 040102(R) (2016).
Active Brownian Rods
F. Peruani
Eur. Phys. J. Spec. Top. 225, 2301 (2016).
Diffusion properties of active particles with directional reversal
R. Grossmann, F. Peruani, M. Bär
New J. Phys. 18, 043009 (2016)
Read a Perspective on this work by Carsten Beta in IOP Science: http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1367-2630/18/5/051003/meta
Intermittent collective dynamics emerge from conflicting imperatives in sheep herds
F. Ginelli+, F. Peruani+, M. Pillot, H. Chaté, G. Theraulaz, R. Bon
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 112, 12729-12734 (2015).
+ equally contributed
Read a broad-audience synopsis in Pour la Science: http://www.pourlascience.fr/ewb_pages/a/actu-le-mouton-de-panurge-une-reputation-qui-se-confirme-36174.php; covered in several newspapers
Decision-making for collective motion results in an all-or-none response in sheep
S. Toulet, J. Gautrais, R. Bon, F. Peruani
PLoS ONE 10(10), e0140188 (2015).
Giant aggregates and absence of global orientation in self-propelled rods
S. Weitz, A. Deutsch, F. Peruani
Phys. Rev. E 92, 012322 (2015).
Emergent vortices in populations of colloidal rollers
A. Bricard, J.-B. Causin, D. Das, C. Savoie, V. Chikkadi, K. Shitara, O. Chepizhko, F. Peruani, D. Saintillan, D. Bartolo
Nature Communications 6, 7470 (2015).
Active particles in heterogeneous media display new physics: existence of an optimal noise and absence of bands and long-range order
O. Chepizhko, F. Peruani
Eur. Phys. J. Spec. Top. 224, 1287-1302 (2015).
A geometric approach to self-propelled motion in isotropic & anisotropic environments
R. Grossmann, F. Peruani, M. Bär
Eur. Phys. J. Spec. Top. 224, 1377-1397 (2015).
Motility-induced phase separation of active particles in the presence of velocity alignment
J. Barré, R. Chetrite, M. Muratori, F. Peruani
J. Stat. Phys. 158, 589-600 (2015).
Diffusion, subdiffusion, and trapping of active particles in heterogeneous media
O. Chepizhko, F. Peruani
Phys. Rev. Lett. 111, 160604 (2013)
Effect of attachment strategies on bipartite networks
N. Ganguly, S. Saha, A. Maiti, S. Agarwal, F. Peruani, A. Mukherjee
Eur. Phys. J. B 86, 287 (2013)
A kinetic model and scaling properties for non-equilibrium clustering of self-propelled particles
F. Peruani, M. Bär
New J. Phys. 15, 065009 (2013)
Optimal Noise Maximizes Collective Motion in Heterogeneous Media
O. Chepizhko, E. Altmann, F. Peruani
Phys. Rev. Lett. 110, 238101 (2013)
Fluctuations and the role of collision duration in reaction-diffusion systems
F. Peruani, C. F. Lee
Europhys. Lett. 102, 58001 (2013)
Pattern-formation mechanisms in motility mutants of Myxococcus xanthus
J. Starruss+, F. Peruani+, V. Jakovljevic, L. Soogard-Andersen, A. Deutsch, M. Bär
Interface Focus 2(6), 774-785 (2012)
+ equally contributed
Correlations in complex networks under attack
A. Srivastava, B. Mitra, N. Ganguly, F. Peruani
Phys. Rev. E 86, 036106 (2012).
Collective motion and nonequilibrium cluster formation in colonies of gliding bacteria
F. Peruani, J. Starruss, V. Jakovljevic, L. Sogaard-Andersen, A. Deutsch, M. Bär
Phys. Rev. Lett. 108, 098102 (2012)
Directedness of information flow in mobile phone communication networks
F. Peruani, L. Tabourier
PLoS ONE 6, e28860 (2011) http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0028860
Polar vs. apolar alignment in systems of polar self-propelled particles
F. Peruani, F. Ginelli, M. Bär, H. Chaté
J. Phys.: Conf. Ser. 297, 012014 (2011)
Traffic jams, gliders, and bands in the quest for collective motion
F. Peruani, T. Klauss, A. Deutsch, A. Voss-Boehme
Phys. Rev. Lett. 106, 128101 (2011)
Cluster dynamics and cluster size distributions in systems of self-propelled particles
F. Peruani, L. Schimansky-Geier, M. Bär
Eur. Phys. J. Spec. Top. 191, 173-185 (2010)
Mobility induces global synchronization of oscillators in extended systems
F. Peruani, E. Nicola, L. Morelli
New J. Phys. 12, 093029 (2010).
Large-scale properties of a simple model for self-propelled rods
F. Ginelli, F. Peruani, M. Bär, H. Chaté
Phys. Rev. Lett. 104, 184502 (2010)
Modeling discrete combinatorial systems as Alphabetic Bipartite Networks: Theory and Applications
M. Choudhury, N. Ganguly, A. Maiti, A. Mukherjee, L. Brusch, A. Deutsch, F. Peruani
Phys. Rev. E 81, 036103 (2010).
Delay Tolerance Networks with Omnidirectional and Directional Antenna
F. Peruani, A. Maiti, S. Sadhu, H. Chaté, R. Choudhury, N. Ganguly
IEEE J. Sel. Areas Commun. 28, 524-531 (2010).
Modeling Collective Motion: Variations on the Vicsek model
H. Chaté, F. Ginelli, G. Gregoire, F. Peruani, F. Raynaud
Eur. Phys. J. B 64, 451 (2008).
Stability Analysis of Peer-to-Peer Networks Against Churn
B. Mitra, N. Ganguly, S. Ghose, F. Peruani
Pramana – J. Phys. 71, 263 (2008).
Generalized theory for node disruption in finite complex networks
B. Mitra, N. Ganguly, S. Ghose, F. Peruani
Phys. Rev. E 78, 026115 (2008).
Dynamics and Steady States in Excitable Mobile Agent System
F. Peruani, G. Sibona
Phys. Rev. Lett. 100, 168103 (2008).
Mean field theory for the collective motion of self-propelled particles interacting by velocity alignment mechanisms
F. Peruani, A. Deutsch, M. Bär
Eur. Phys. J. Spec. Top. 157, 111 (2008).
Self-propelled particles with fluctuating speed
F. Peruani, L. G. Morelli
Phys. Rev. Lett. 99, 010602 (2007).
Emergence of a non-scaling degree distribution in bipartite networks: a numerical and analytical study
F. Peruani, M. Choudhury, A. Mukherjee, N. Ganguly
Europhys. Lett. 79, 28001 (2007).
Nonequilibrium clustering of self-propelled rods
F. Peruani, A. Deutsch, M. Bär
Phys. Rev. E 74, 030904 (Rapid Comm.) (2006).
On cell resistance and immune response time lag in a model for HIV infection
G. Solovey, F. Peruani, S. Ponce Dawson, R. M. Zorzenon dos Santos
Physica A 343, 543 (2004).
Dielectric breakdown model for conductor-loaded and insulator-loaded composite materials
P. Bergero, F. Peruani, G. Solovey, I. M. Irurzun, J. L. Vicente, E. E. Mola
Phys. Rev. E 69, 016123 (2004).
Dielectric breakdown model for composite materials
F. Peruani, G. Solovey, I. M. Irurzun, E. E. Mola, A. Marzocca, J. L. Vicente
Phys. Rev. E 67, 066121 (2003).

Proceedings (peer‑reviewed)

How to detect causality effects on large dynamical communication networks: a case study
L. Tabourier, A. Stoica, F. Peruani
Proceedings of ComsNets 2012, Bengaluru, India (2012).
Attacks on Correlated Peer-to-Peer Networks: An Analytical Study
A. Srivastava, B. Mitra, F. Peruani, N. Ganguly
SCNC 2011 (in conjunction with IEEE INFOCOM) (2011).
Influence of the motion of individuals on the evolution of a SIRS epidemy
G. J. Sibona, F. Peruani, G. R. Terranova
Proceedings of BIOMAT 2011 (World Scientific) (2011).
Analyzing the Vulnerability of Superpeers Networks Against Attack
B. Mitra, F. Peruani, S. Ghose, N. Ganguly
Proceedings of CCS 2007 (2007).
Measuring robustness of Superpeer Topologies
B. Mitra, F. Peruani, S. Ghose, N. Ganguly
Brief Announcement, PODC 2007 (2007).

Book chapters

Active Brownian Rods
F. Peruani
in: Microswimmers – from particle motion to collective behaviour, Jülich Forschungzentrum Verlag (2015).
Auto-organisation et agrégation cellulaire sans chimiotactisme
A. Chauvière, F. Peruani
in: Le vivant critique et chaotique (2015).
Advances in Complex Networks
F. Peruani
in: Dynamics on and of Complex Networks: Applications to Biology, Computer Science, Economics, and the Social Sciences, Birkhäuser-Springer (2009).
Bacterial swarming driven by rod shape
J. Starruss, F. Peruani, M. Bär, A. Deutsch
in: Mathematical Modeling of Biological Systems, Volume I (2007).

Books

Time-varying dynamical complex networks
M. Choudhuri, N. Ganguly, B. Mitra, A. Mukherjee, F. Peruani (eds.)
Birkhäuser / Springer (2013).