  Atomic correlations in a simple liquid in steady-state flow under shear
stress were studied by molecular dynamics simulation. The local atomic level
strain was determined through the anisotropic pair-density function (PDF). The
atomic level strain has a limited spatial extension whose range is dependent on
the strain rate and extrapolates to zero at the critical strain rate. A failure
event is identified with altering the local topology of atomic connectivity by
exchanging bonds among neighboring atoms.
