Circular swimming motility and disordered hyperuniform state in an algae system

Disordered hyperuniform materials suppress large-scale density fluctuations like crystals and remain locally isotropic as liquids. These materials possess unique properties, such as isotropic photonic gap, and have attracted the attention of scientists from many disciplines. Here we show that circularly swimming marine algae can robustly self-organize into disordered hyperuniform states through long-range hydrodynamic interactions at air-liquid interfaces. Important properties measured from hyperuniform states can be quantitatively reproduced by a numerical model whose main parameters are obtained experimentally. Our work clearly demonstrates the possibility to create disordered hyperuniform states via hydrodynamic interactions and highlights the importance of such interactions in active matter systems.