Charged particles in magnetic fields and cosmic ray transport

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.