The Ion Composition Analyzer (ICA) is part of the Rosetta Plasma Consortium (RPC). ICA is designed to measure the three-dimensional distribution function of positive ions in order to study the interaction between the solar wind and cometary particles. The instrument has a mass resolution high enough to resolve the major species such as protons, helium, oxygen, molecular ions, and heavy ions characteristic of dusty plasma regions. ICA consists of an electrostatic acceptance angle filter, an electrostatic energy filter, and a magnetic momentum filter. Particles are detected using large diameter (100 mm) microchannel plates and a two-dimensional anode system. ICA has its own processor for data reduction/compression and formatting. The energy range of the instrument is from 25 eV to 40 keV and an angular field-of-view of 360 • × 90 • is achieved through electrostatic deflection of incoming particles.

The measurements carried out on the spacecraft Phobos‐2 have revealed that the plasma sheet of the Martian magnetosphere consists mainly of ions of planetary origin, accelerated up to ∼ 1 keV/q. Such an acceleration may result from the action of magnetic shear stresses of the draped field, the ion energy increasing toward the center of the tail where magnetic stresses are stronger. The energy gained by heavy ions does not depend on their mass and are proportional to the ion charge. The mechanism of the ion acceleration is related with the generation of a charge separation electric field, which extracts ions from “ray” structures in the Martian tail.

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Measurements with the Søndre Strømfjord incoherent scatter radar, co‐ordinated with the observations by the Freja satellite, have been performed during three campaigns, April 1993, February 1994, and May–June 1994. Radar signatures of various types of magnetosheath particle injections in the cusp‐cleft region are investigated. The measurement days represent very different geomagnetic conditions, from very quiet to a Kp index of 7+. On three occasions both Freja and the radar detected the cusp. A unique cusp signature is found for a relatively stable cusp, distinguishing it from the many other soft precipitation features seen around noon. The signature includes extremely high electron temperatures in a latitudinally well‐defined region with a sharp equatorward border, some F region electron density enhancement, ion outflow, and mainly poleward plasma flow. Enhanced ion temperatures are also seen in the vicinity of, but not exactly coincident with, the electron temperature enhancements. Other day side precipitation features observed with an intense soft component are narrow arcs, which usually have an accompanying accelerated electron component of several hundred eV to some keV energy. These are typically seen in, or bordering, convection regions where the plasma flow vorticity implies upward field‐aligned currents.