Studies related to the earth and planets along with their surroundings are of great concern for modern scientists. Global geodynamics as represented by plate tectonics has now become one of the most powerful tools by which we can study the causes of earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, mountain formation and the like. Various missions sent out to space, manned or of the moon, Mars, Venus and unmanned, brought out geoscientific features other planets. Earthquake prediction that was the business of astrologers and fortune-tellers some twenty years ago, has now grown up to be an important science. A number of destructive earthquakes were successfully forecast in the People's Republic of China. In the light of the above-mentioned and other accomplishments in geosciences, we feel that it is a good thing to publish a series of monographs which review selected topics of earth and planetary sciences. We are of course well aware of the fact that similar monographs have been and will be published from overseas publishers. The series, which we plan to publish, will therefore stress Japanese work. But we hope that the series will also include review articles by distinguished overseas authors.

Inhalt
1 Origin of Magnetospheric Plasma.- 1 Introduction.- 2 Atmospheric Source of Magnetospheric Plasma.- 3 Temperature of the Atmospheric Plasma.- 4 Transport and Heating Effects of Photoelectrons.- 5 Plasma from Jupiter's Satellite Io.- 6 Entry of Solar-Wind Plasma into the Plasma Sheet.- References.- 2 Interaction of the Solar Wind with the Dayside Magnetosphere.- 1 Solar Wind Flow around the Magnetopause.- 2 The Bow Shock.- 3 The Boundary Layer.- 4 Evidence for Reconnection at the Magnetopause.- 5 Microprocesses Related to Reconnection.- References.- 3 Magnetospheric Tail Dynamics.- 1 Introduction: Model of the Equilibrium Neutral Sheet.- 2 Microinstabilities of the Quiet Magnetospheric Tail.- 3 Tearing Instability of the Magnetospheric Tail as the Mechanism for Substorms.- 4 Magnetospheric Bursts of Energetic Particles.- 5 Macroscopic Consequences of the Ion Tearing Mode Instability in the Magnetotail.- References.- Appendix: Tearing Mode Stabilization in a Two-Dimensional Plasma Sheet Configuration with Magnetized Electrons.- 4 Auroral Physics.- 1 Introduction.- 2 Primary Energy Sources of Auroras.- 3 Double Layers: Acceleration Mechanism.- 4 Magnetosphere-Ionosphere Coupling: Auroral Arcs.- 5 Auroral Kilometric Radiation.- 6 Closing Remarks.- References.- 5 Electrostatic Waves and the Strong Diffusion of Magnetospheric Electrons.- Abstract.- 1 Introduction.- 2 Outline.- 3 Two Problems of Coupled Spatial Transport and Pitch Angle Diffusion.- 4 General Properties of Electrostatic Waves in a Magnetized Plasma.- 5 Free Energy Sources for Magnetospheric Electron Cyclotron Harmonic Instabilities.- 6 A Parametric Study of Convective Loss Cone Instabilities.- 7 Observations of Magnetospheric VLF Electric Fields.- 8 Comparisons between Linear Theory and Observation.- 9 SomeNonlinear Considerations.- 10 Concluding Remarks.- References.