Project Related Research
UK ATC scientists are involved in a range of projects involving the design and production of state-of-the-art instrumentation. In each case the instruments have a detailed science justification and the scientists are closely involved in the development of this and in some of the related research that will result. WFCAM is an example of a recent major instrument now making excellent progress on several infrared surveys devised by the UKIDSS consortium. Other recently delivered instruments now being exploited include Michelle, GMOS (on Gemini North and South telescopes) and UIST on UKIRT.
VISTA, SCUBA 2 and KMOS are major instrument projects currently underway for ground-based telescopes.
The UK ATC also collaborates to design and build instruments and modules for space-based astronomy: the MIRI instrument on the James Webb Space Telescope and the beam-steering mirror for SPIRE for the Herschel satellite.