Finite Larmor radius effects in the magnetosphere

This article reviews theories and observations related to effects produced by finite (and large) Larmor radii of charged particles in the magnetosphere. The FLR effects depend on =r _H /L, wherer _H is the Larmor radius andL is the spatial scale for field/plasma inhomogeneity. The parameter is a basic expansion parameter for most equations describing plasma dynamics in the magnetosphere. The FLR effects enter naturally the drift approximation for particle motion and represent also non-ideal MHD terms in the fluid formalism. The linear and higher order terms in lead to charge separation, energization of particles, and produce viscosity without collisions. The FLR effects introduce also important corrections to the dispersion relations for MHD waves and drift instabilities. Expansion of plasma into magnetic field leads to filamentation of the plasma boundary and to creation of structures with thickness less than an ion gyroradius. Large Larmor radius effects (1) in curved magnetic field geometry lead to stochastic behaviour of particle trajectories and to deterministic chaos. The tiny scale of the electron and ion gyroradii does not necessarily mean that FLR/LLR phenomena have negligible effect on the macroscopic dynamics and energetics of the whole magnetosphere. On the contrary, the small scale gyro-effects may provide the physical mechanism for gyroviscous coupling between the solar wind and the magnetosphere, the mechanism for triggering disruption of the magnetotail current layer, and the mechanism for parallel electric field that accelerate auroral particles.