VIMOS IFU as a tool to observe the cores of high z clusters

Abstract

Research on the core of medium and high z clusters of galaxies can derive great benefits from integral field spectroscopy, and a key role in this respect will be played by the Integral Field Unit (IFU) being developed by the VIRMOS Consortium as part of the VIMOS spectrograph. After a brief technical outline of the instrument, some of the problems to be addressed by data reduction techniques are described, and the scientific issues to which VIMOS IFU is likely to give its major contribution are pointed out.