The Department has a number of vacuum chambers in clean rooms which are available to external users subject to appropriate agreements and planning. Facilities include a Cold Optics Chamber, and a 2.2m vibration-isolated vacuum calibration facility.
The Department’s environmental test facilities are adequate for its in-house programmes. The facilities are available for use by external customers, subject to appropriate planning and commercial terms. When larger test facilities are required for larger instruments, the University has good access to external facilities such as those at Airbus and Harwell.