Developpement and operation of an electro-optical simulator for the future space based gravitational wave detector eLISA

Gravitational waves will offer a new window to the universe. Their detection by ground based detectors should arrive soon and the future space based interferometer eLISA will allow to do gravitational wave astronomy in order to get unique informations on their sources whether black holes, neutron stars, the Big Bang etc. The effect of a gravitational wave is an extremely weak variation of distance, it will require a very performant detector. That's why eLISA should reach picometer precision with arm length of a million kilometer. Such a concept must be tested both numerically and experimentally in order to validate the planned noise reduction techniques. The dominant noise will come from the laser itself. Although laser stabilization methods exists, the required level for the detection of gravitational waves is not achievable with the current level of technology. Consequently eLISA will use a post measurement process called time delay interferometry which allows to recombine numerically the measurement to form an equal arm interferometer in order to cancel laser noise like in a standard equal arm interferometer. This algorithm called TDI (Time Delay Interferometry) is one of the main point of study of this thesis. Indeed the LOT is an interferometer both optical and electronic which aims to simulate eLISA and especially to test TDI on a realistic configuration of eLISA. As it is impossible to delay the laser light of the time of a round trip on eLISA, about six seconds, the LOT injects the simulated noises with the appropriate delays to measure the interferences and apply TDI. However, this should be realized in consideration of the intrinsic noises of the LOT which must be understood and reduced as much as possible. Moreover the LOT will address other problematics of eLISA such as the clock noise of each satellite. The work which was achieved has led to an installation of a part of the LOT and to the improvement of the interferometer's noise level thus allowing to obtain the first results in a simplified but realistic configuration of eLISA while preparing it for additional features in order to get closer of the space detector's configuration. Thereby the LOT fits in the efforts made by the eLISA community to fully simulate the future detector and to prepare an integration and test phase in which the LOT will be able to play a part as a test bench for some elements. (author)