The propagation of information in highly social animal groups is a
non-trivial phenomenon, with bird flocking being a prime example.
During collective movement, a flock behaves like a single, large
organism. As shown by experimental observations, information is
transmitted within such a flock rapidly and with very little loss
[2]. In my presentation, I will introduce a mathematical
model describing this phenomenon — the "inertial spin model"
[1], which is based on conservation laws identified through
experimental measurements. The differential equations governing the
model are parameterized by several coefficients, including those
accounting for individual agents’ memory (damping) and for noise (the
"temperature" of the system). During the presentation, I will discuss
the parameter ranges for which the system remains stable (i.e.,
capable of collectively changing its flight direction). Furthermore, I
will present how the spatial orientation of individual agents
influences the stability of the flock. The goal of my research is to
determine the role and the “selection procedure” of a leader in highly
social groups.

[1] A. Cavagna, L. D. Castello, I. Giardina, T. Grigera,
A. Jelic, S. Melillo, T. Mora, L. Parisi, E. Silvestri, M. Viale, A.
M. Walczak, J. Stat. Phys. {\bf 158}, 601 (2015).

[2] A. Attanasi, A. Cavagna, L. Del Castello, I.
Giardina, T. S. Grigera, A. Jelić, S. Melillo, L. Parisi, O. Pohl, E.
Shen, and M. Viale, Nat. Phys. {\bf 10}, 691 (2014).