Quasiadiabatic dynamics of charged particles in a space plasma

Abstract

In many space plasma systems, especially when the magnetic field is weak, characteristic scales of the magnetic field inhomogeneity are much smaller than the Larmor radius of the ions. Over the last two decades, quasiadiabatic models of the dynamics of charged particles in such systems have been actively developed. In this paper, we systematically review the quasiadiabatic approximation and illustrate how it can be used to describe various phenomena in Earth's magnetosphere and to explain many effects observed by satellites.