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Updated: May 15, 2026

The Preparation of Electrohydrodynamic Bridges from Polar Dielectric Liquids
Published on: September 30, 2014
Do the repulsive and attractive pair forces play separate roles for the physics of liquids?
Lasse Bøhling1, Arno A Veldhorst, Trond S Ingebrigtsen
1DNRF Centre 'Glass and Time', IMFUFA, Department of Sciences, Roskilde University, Postbox 260, DK-4000 Roskilde, Denmark.
Abstract:
According to standard liquid-state theory repulsive and attractive pair forces play distinct roles for the physics of liquids. This paradigm is put into perspective here by demonstrating a continuous series of pair potentials that have virtually the same structure and dynamics, although only some of them have attractive forces of significance. Our findings reflect the fact that the motion of a given particle is determined by the total force on it, whereas the quantity usually discussed in liquid-state theory is the individual pair force.
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