where α LJ is a constant, which had a value of 1/2. The advantage of using a "softcore" potential to decouple the LJ interactions is that while it yields the correct limiting value of the potential (when λ LJ m = 0 and 1), it additionally allows nearly decoupled molecules to overlap with a finite energy (and hence finite probability). The electrostatic term in the intermolecular potential was decoupled linearly as