For an imposed field in a layer of depth , the Chandrasekhar number compares magnetic tension with viscous and magnetic-diffusive effects. Here is magnetic diffusivity and is kinematic viscosity. In thermal-diffusion units the linear magnetic-force coefficient is , where and is thermal diffusivity.
With thermal diffusivity and magnetic diffusivity , the standard Chandrasekhar number uses in its denominator. A thermal-diffusion alternative uses and is times the standard parameter. In thermal-time magnetoconvection equations, the linear magnetic-force coefficient is . Specifying the convention prevents a missing diffusivity factor in a dispersion relation.
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The Chandrasekhar number, usually denoted as \( \mathcal{Ch} \), is a dimensionless quantity used in the field of fluid mechanics, particularly in the study of convection. It characterizes the stability of a fluid layer heated from below and contributes to the understanding of convection patterns in a fluid due to temperature differences.