  The WHT is unusually well-placed for exploitation of adaptive-optics (AO)
technology. The site seeing is excellent (median 0.7 arcsec), dome seeing is
negligible, and preliminary studies indicate that most of the atmospheric
seeing originates in a well-defined layer at low altitude, which bodes well for
future laser-guide-star AO. The Durham group have built up extensive experience
with natural-guide-star adaptive-optics experiments at the GHRIL Nasmyth focus,
and the NAOMI common-user AO facility is due to be commissioned at this focus
early in 2000. NAOMI will provide near-diffraction-limited imaging in the IR
(Strehl ~ 0.6, FWHM ~ 0.15 arcsec in K) and is expected to give significant
correction in the optical (poorer Strehl, but similar FWHM). NAOMI will perform
better at short wavelengths than AO systems on other telescopes, and observers
will require instrumentation that can exploit this crucial advantage.
