THE UNITED KINGDOM INFRARED TELESCOPE
ANNUAL REPORT
1995 AND 1996

4. Report on Operations

4.1. Summary

The years 1995 and 1996 were a period of significant development of both the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope and its instrumentation. The following were major highlights.

• The recommissioning of CGS4, with its new 256256 array, considerably improved sensitivity and resulted in higher spectral resolution and wider spectral coverage.

• The commissioning and successful scientific usage of a powerful new Fabry-Perot etalon for IRCAM3.

• The commissioning of IRPOL2, which has made UKIRT the most powerful telescope in the world for imaging polarimetry and spectropolarimetry from 1 to 5 microns.

• The commissioning of several of the major components of the Upgrades Programme, most notably the tip/tilt fast guider system in 1996, resulting in delivery of much improved image quality (on occasion approaching 0.3 arcseconds FWHM) and elimination of the deleterious effects of windshake and tracking irregularities.

• The incorporation of the tip/tilt fast guider system into normal operations, complete with user-friendly software.

• The changeover of computer systems and software from VMS to Unix.

• A continued high publication rate, with a record 82 publications in 1996.