What is the B mode in CMB polarization?
General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology
2019-12-02 v1
Abstract
A linear polarization field on a surface is expressed in terms of scalar functions, providing an invariant separation into two components; one of these is the B mode, important as a signature of primordial gravitational waves, which would lend support to the inflation hypothesis. The case of a plane already exhibits the key ideas, including the formal analogy with a vector field decomposed into gradient plus curl, with the B mode like the latter. The formalism is generalized to a spherical surface using cartesian coordinates. Analysis of global data provides a path to vector and tensor spherical harmonics.
Cite
@article{arxiv.1911.12488,
title = {What is the B mode in CMB polarization?},
author = {Jack Kwok and King Lau and Edward Young and Kenneth Young},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1911.12488},
year = {2019}
}
Comments
11 pages