Electron-hydrogen normalization of the cooling function ($\mathcal{C}=n_e{n}_H{\Lambda }_{eH}$)

In an optically thin plasma, one convention defines the radiative cooling power per volume by $\mathcal{C}=n_e{n}_H{\Lambda }_{eH}(T)$, where $n_H$ counts hydrogen nuclei. A convention $\mathcal{C}=n_H^2{\Lambda }_{HH}$ instead has ${\Lambda }_{HH}=(n_e/n_H){\Lambda }_{eH}$. Thus the tabulated functions differ even for the same gas. With total particle density $n$, a monatomic-gas radiative gas cooling time is $3n{k}_{B}T/(2\mathcal{C})$ when heating is negligible.^[ref]