Charged particles in magnetic fields and cosmic ray transport

TL;DR

This paper reviews the fundamental theory of charged particle transport in cosmic magnetic fields, emphasizing its importance for understanding cosmic ray acceleration and propagation across various astrophysical environments.

Contribution

It summarizes key aspects of the theory and discusses ongoing developments and simple applications related to particle acceleration and propagation in the galaxy.

Findings

Basic principles of charged particle transport are outlined.

Current theoretical developments are discussed.

Applications to galactic cosmic ray propagation are presented.

Abstract

The theory of transport of charged particles in cosmic magnetic fields is at the very center of the investigation of non-thermal phenomena in the universe, ranging from our local neighborhood to supernovae, clusters of galaxies or distant active galaxies. It is crucial to understand how particles get energized to non-thermal energies as well as to describe their motion from the sources to an observer or to another location in the universe. Here I summarize some essential, basic aspects of the theory and discuss some topics in the theoretical framework that are currently being developed. I will also discuss some simple applications of the theory of transport to particle acceleration and propagation in the Galaxy.