Coupled map gas: structure formation and dynamics of interacting motile elements with internal dynamics

A model of interacting motile chaotic elements is proposed. The chaotic elements are distributed in space and interact with each other through interactions depending on their positions and their internal states. As the value of a governing parameter is changed, the model exhibits successive phase changes with novel pattern dynamics, including spatial clustering, fusion and fission of clusters and intermittent diffusion of elements. We explain how the interplay between internal dynamics and interaction leads to these phases and classify the behaviors by employing certain quantities characterizing diffusion, correlation, and the information cascade of synchronization. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.