An extensive survey of extragalactic objects with accurate distances is difficult to perform. Distance at that scale is commonly found with redshift and most easily identified with spectroscopic observations, which are time intensive. This is especially a concern when surveying for the elusive, possibly non-existent dwarf galaxies in the centers of voids, whose light would be so faint that a spectroscopic survey to find them would be unreasonably time consuming. Photometric methods to calculate redshift could provide a much quicker way to find distance, but the photometric methods used thus far are characterized by large errors that make them unusable for research on nearby voids. I have been testing two photometric redshift methods that have been recently developed: the Gaussian filter method and the ramp filters method. The Gaussian filter method isolates objects that have emission within the bandpass of the Gaussian filters. Spectroscopic follow-up observations of objects observed with the Gaussian filter method confirmed that 41.9% of the objects identified by the method actually had emission lines within the bandpass of the filters, which is more than a random sampling where only 7% of galaxies had emission within that wavelength range. Assuming that all the lines identified were Hα, the photometric redshift calculated from the Gaussian filter observations had an error of 945 km/s (or 430 km/s by excluding one outlier). Ramp filter observations of objects with SDSS redshifts provided a way to identify redshift with an error of 641.8 km/s. These errors are about an order of magnitude less than other redshift methods. These methods show promise for uses in observational cosmology, specifically extragalactic survey work and searching for void galaxies.

Il y a presque dix ans que l'accélération de l'expansion de l'Univers a été mise en évidence grâce aux observations des supernovae de type Ia et du fonds diffus cosmologique. Cette découverte a changé notre compréhension du contenu énergétique de l'Univers puisque pour expliquer une telle accélération, une composante supplémentaire de matière (effective ou non) est nécessaire et contribue à hauteur de 70%. Cette dernière est appelé «énergie noire». Elle affecte aussi bien les mesures de distance, que la croissance des sur-densités de matières primordiales qui donnent naissance aux structures. Les principales sondes sensibles à ces deux dernières quantités sont les supernovae de type Ia, les amas de galaxies, les lentilles gravitationnelles, et les oscillations acoustiques des baryons (BAO). Afin de contraindre précisément les modèles théoriques (Constante Cosmologique, modification de la théorie de la relativité générale par exemple) qui tentent de déterminer la nature de l'énergie noire, l'observation de chacune de ces quatre sondes est indispensable. Le niveau de précision sur la mesure des paramètres des modèles d'énergie noire requis est tel qu'une nouvelle génération d'instruments va voir le jour dans les années à venir avec notamment le télescope LSST (Large Synoptic Survey Telescope). Le télescope LSST dont le miroir primaire fait 8.4 mètres de diamètre, produira un sondage couvrant la moitié du ciel observable dans 6 bandes photométriques pendant 10 ans. Sa caméra sera la plus grosse caméra jamais construite dans le monde avec un plan focal de 3.2 milliards de pixels. Cette thèse présente à la fois un aspect expérimental et phénoménologique. Le travail présenté porte tout d'abord sur l'élaboration du banc d'étalonnage de la caméra de LSST, et des premières mesures optiques validant le schéma de principe du banc. Nous présenterons ensuite la simulation des BAO dédiée à LSST tentant de prédire à quelle précision les paramètres d'énergie noire pourront être contraint. L'accent est mis sur la production d'un catalogue photométrique de galaxies simulé ainsi que sur une méthode de calcul des redshifts photométriques. La validation de la méthode grâce à des données spectro-photométriques du CFHTLS est également présentée. / More than ten years ago, the accelerated expansion of the Universe was discovered, by type Ia supernovae, and then confirmed by other probes. This discovery has changed our understanding of the energetic content of the Universe. Indeed, in order to explain such an acceleration, a new component has to be introduced and it must contribute to 70% of the total energy density. This component, the so called Dark Energy, affects both cosmological distances and the growth of structures from which galaxies originates. The main cosmological probes of dark energy are the type Ia supernovae, the galaxy cluster count, the weak gravitational lensing and the baryon acoustic oscillations (BAO). In order to precisely constrain theoretical models, such as the cosmological constant, a modify gravity or a new scalar field, joint observations of all four probes are very efficient. The required accuracy on cosmological measurements is so high that a new generation of instruments is growing, among which the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST). The telescope, with a primary mirror of 8.4 m diameter, will cover half of the optical sky in six photometric bandpasses. Its camera will be the world biggest camera ever constructed with a focal plane array composed of 3.2 Gpixels. This thesis treats both the experimental and phenomenological aspects. Firstly, the work presented here consists in the development of the LSST camera calibration optical bench. We have designed a system allowing an efficient commissioning of the camera before its installation on the telescope, and a precise calibration of the focal plane. Preliminary measurements validating the design of the bench will be presented. Secondly, a detailed Baryon Acoustic Oscillations simulation dedicated to LSST will be introduced. Its main goal is to predict the level of precision on the dark energy equation of state parameter reconstruction that will be reached with LSST. We will stress on the production of a mock photometric galaxy catalog and on the photometric redshifts computation. A validation of the method on real spectro-photometric from CFHTLS will also be shown.

Due to the finite speed of light and a vast, expanding universe, telescopes are just now receiving the light emitted by galaxies as they were forming in the very early universe. The light from these galaxies has been redshifted (stretched to longer, redder wavelengths) as a result of its journey through expanding space. Using sophisticated techniques and exceptional multi-wavelength optical and infrared data, we isolate a population of 378 galaxies in the process of formation when the Universe was only two billion years old. By matching the distinctive properties of the light spectra of these galaxies to models, the redshift, age, dust content, star formation rate and total stellar mass of each galaxy are determined. Comparing our results to similar surveys of galaxy populations at other redshifts, a picture emerges of the growth and evolution of massive, star-forming galaxies over the course of billions of years.

Due to the finite speed of light and a vast, expanding universe, telescopes are just now receiving the light emitted by galaxies as they were forming in the very early universe. The light from these galaxies has been redshifted (stretched to longer, redder wavelengths) as a result of its journey through expanding space. Using sophisticated techniques and exceptional multi-wavelength optical and infrared data, we isolate a population of 378 galaxies in the process of formation when the Universe was only two billion years old. By matching the distinctive properties of the light spectra of these galaxies to models, the redshift, age, dust content, star formation rate and total stellar mass of each galaxy are determined. Comparing our results to similar surveys of galaxy populations at other redshifts, a picture emerges of the growth and evolution of massive, star-forming galaxies over the course of billions of years.

Due to the finite speed of light and a vast, expanding universe, telescopes are just now receiving the light emitted by galaxies as they were forming in the very early universe. The light from these galaxies has been redshifted (stretched to longer, redder wavelengths) as a result of its journey through expanding space. Using sophisticated techniques and exceptional multi-wavelength optical and infrared data, we isolate a population of 378 galaxies in the process of formation when the Universe was only two billion years old. By matching the distinctive properties of the light spectra of these galaxies to models, the redshift, age, dust content, star formation rate and total stellar mass of each galaxy are determined. Comparing our results to similar surveys of galaxy populations at other redshifts, a picture emerges of the growth and evolution of massive, star-forming galaxies over the course of billions of years.

Due to the finite speed of light and a vast, expanding universe, telescopes are just now receiving the light emitted by galaxies as they were forming in the very early universe. The light from these galaxies has been redshifted (stretched to longer, redder wavelengths) as a result of its journey through expanding space. Using sophisticated techniques and exceptional multi-wavelength optical and infrared data, we isolate a population of 378 galaxies in the process of formation when the Universe was only two billion years old. By matching the distinctive properties of the light spectra of these galaxies to models, the redshift, age, dust content, star formation rate and total stellar mass of each galaxy are determined. Comparing our results to similar surveys of galaxy populations at other redshifts, a picture emerges of the growth and evolution of massive, star-forming galaxies over the course of billions of years.