Determine the origin of the multilayered dense-phase morphology

Determine whether the multi-domain morphology of the dense region in the tangentially anchored spherical shell of soft repulsive spherocylinders arises from curvature-induced confinement or from finite simulation timescales and the finite heating rate used in the 2-Temperature protocol, using simulations sufficiently long to resolve the jammed configurations.

Background

For tangentially anchored soft repulsive spherocylinders on a spherical shell, the authors observe that 2-Temperature activity produces a dense phase with enhanced orientational order and a multi-domain layered structure, rather than a nematic phase, for aspect ratio A = 5.0. They caution that this morphology may not have a uniquely identified physical origin.

The unresolved issue is whether the morphology is caused by the geometric curvature of the spherical confinement or is instead an artifact of insufficient simulation time and the finite heating rate. Resolving it would require a systematic study over longer timescales, potentially beyond the computational range used in the manuscript.

References

We also note that the multi-domain morphology of the dense region on the spherical surface could either arise from the underlying curvature-induced confinement, or be a consequence of the limitation in the simulation timescales and the finite heating rate employed in the protocol. It is difficult to resolve these jammed configurations, as doing so would likely require simulation times far exceeding those computationally accessible, which is currently beyond the scope of this manuscript.

— Effect of Spherical Confinement on the 2-TIPS of Soft Repulsive Spherocylinders  (2609.10014 - Mandal et al., 9 Sep 2026) in Section 4.2, “Absence of nematic ordering”