  Deep ultraviolet (DUV) light sources are used to neutralise isolated test
masses in highly sensitive space-based gravitational experiments. An example is
the LISA Pathfinder charge management system, which uses low-pressure mercury
lamps. A future gravitational-wave observatory such as eLISA will use UV
light-emitting diodes (UV LEDs), which offer numerous advantages over
traditional discharge lamps. Such devices have limited space heritage but are
are now available from a number of commercial suppliers. Here we report on a
test campaign that was carried out to quantify the general properties of three
types of commercially available UV LEDs and demonstrate their suitability for
use in space. Testing included general electrical and UV output measurements,
spectral stability, pulsed performance, temperature dependence as well as
thermal vacuum, radiation and vibration survivability.
