Electronic phase delay—a first step towards a bench-top model of LISA

Abstract

Electronic phase delay (EPD), a new technique for delaying the phase of a signal by an arbitrary amount, is presented as the basis for a model of the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA). The validity of EPD is demonstrated by constructing a synthetic interferometer (SI) with a single-arm time delay of 1 s. Schemes for studying the phase noise reduction techniques of arm-locking and time delay interferometry using EPD units are presented and discussed, with preliminary results for arm-locking. EPD can also be used as the basis for a bench-top model of LISA which will be used to study LISA interferometry and data analysis methods.