The Vimos Upgrade Programme

The high multiplex advantage of VIMOS, the VLT visible imager and multi-object/integral-field spectrometer, makes it a powerful instrument for large-scale spectroscopic surveys of faint sources. Following community input and recommendations by ESO's Science and Technology Committee, in 2009 it was decided to upgrade the instrument. This included installing an active flexure compensation system and replacing the detectors with CCDs that have a far better red sensitivity and less fringing. Significant changes have also been made to the hardware, maintenance and operational procedures of the instrument with the aim of improving availability and productivity. Improvements have also been made to the data reduction pipeline. The upgrade will end in 2012 and the results of the program will be presented here.