Planck 2018 polarization data provides a calibrated large-scale rotation field derived from EB cross-spectra over multipoles ℓ = 500–1500. The dataset, created by Amy Condit and the 22 Blue CMB Birefringence & Standing-Wave Rotation Field organization, includes spherical-harmonic coefficients αₗₘ for L ≤ 10 and a MASTER-calibrated power spectrum. Version 1.4 was released on 2026-06-17.
Use Cases
- Testing models of anisotropic cosmic birefringence based on the described rotation field and dipole.
- Analyzing the harmonic structure of the CMB polarization based on the provided spherical-harmonic coefficients αₗₘ.
- Validating the robustness of CMB rotation measurements based on the described cross-validation across component-separation methods and frequency splits.
- Investigating large-scale mirror-symmetry breaking in the universe based on the evidence for a cosmological potential gradient.
Strengths
- Results are described as robust across two component-separation methods (SMICA and NILC) and stable across frequencies and half-mission splits.
- The dataset includes reproducibility scripts and figures, facilitating verification and reuse.
- The rotation field is decomposed into spherical-harmonic coefficients for L ≤ 10, providing a structured representation.
Limitations
- Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
- Row count and file size are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
- Last updated 2026-06-17; freshness should be verified for the latest cosmological constraints.
Provenance
- Source
- Planck 2018 polarization data.
- Collection Method
- Derived from EB cross-spectra using MASTER deconvolution and component-separated maps (SMICA, NILC).
- Freshness
- 2026-06-17