The Chandrasekhar number is a dimensionless quantity used in magnetic convection to represent ratio of the Lorentz force to the viscosity. It is named after the Indian astrophysicist Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar.
The number's main function is as a measure of the magnetic field, being proportional to the square of a characteristic magnetic field in a system.
Definition
The Chandrasekhar number is usually denoted by the letter
where
The Chandrasekhar number is thus defined as:
where
It is related to the Hartmann number,