CIRPASS Performance and Use

Status and availability:	CIRPASS has been commissioned on Gemini South (see Demonstration Science results) and is offered to the community for semester 2003A in service mode only.
CIRPASS Components:	Fore Optics, IFU formats and available lenslet scales Detector Wavefront sensors (WFS) and guide stars The Peripheral WFS (PWFS) is required for all observations
Sensitivity:	A preliminary guideline sensitivity table is available. The estimated image quality delivered to the instrument is given as part of the observing condition constraints.
Observing overheads:	Current estimates are that the overheads associated with each new science target (for target acquisition, telescope, WFS and instrument re-configuration etc) total 25 min. The estimated on-source efficiency is 90% (i.e. 10% of the elapsed time is used for telescope offsetting, WFS re-acquisition, detector readout etc). These overheads should be included in the time requested for each observation.
Calibration:	Flat-fielding and wavelength calibration of CIRPASS are to be carried out using a combination of sky and facility calibration unit observations. A basic calibration set will be obtained for each observation, queue or classical.
Data Reduction:	The CIRPASS group are making available to the community their data reduction software for basic processing tasks and construction of 3D data cubes. They will also be providing support for its users.

Last update 26 August 2002; Phil Puxley