Understanding quorum sensing self-organization: Clustering and defect-induced ordering of diffusing particles

@misc{liu2026understanding,
  title = {{Understanding quorum sensing self-organization: Clustering and defect-induced ordering of diffusing particles}},
  author = {Feifei Liu and Vyacheslav R. Misko and Yunyun Li and Fabio Marchesoni},
  howpublished = {arXiv},
  year = {2026},
  month = jul,
  doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2607.07906},
  eprint = {2607.07906},
  archivePrefix = {arXiv},
  url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2607.07906},
}

TY  - UNPB
TI  - Understanding quorum sensing self-organization: Clustering and defect-induced ordering of diffusing particles
AU  - Feifei Liu
AU  - Vyacheslav R. Misko
AU  - Yunyun Li
AU  - Fabio Marchesoni
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/07/08
PB  - arXiv
DO  - 10.48550/arxiv.2607.07906
UR  - https://arxiv.org/abs/2607.07906
AB  - Quorum sensing (QS) is known in biology as a form of intercellular communication mediated by signaling molecules called autoinducers. The QS protocol governs the transition from individual to collective cell behavior once a critical population density is reached. Using numerical simulations, we investigate how defects influence the QS transition and the structural organization of the resulting colonies. Our model system consists of a mixture of slow ("cold") and fast ("hot") diffusing colloidal particles that obey the QS protocol, together with defect particles characterized by a constant diffusivity. A striking reentrant solidification of QS particles, characterized by long-range order, is induced by hot defects, whereas cold defects give rise to amorphous structures with only short-range order. These findings deepen our understanding of the QS interaction and provide a mechanism to control the degree of organization in QS systems, with potential applications in robotics, social sciences, and medicine -- for instance, in overcoming antimicrobial resistance.
ER  -