CMB Polarization Systematics Due to Beam Asymmetry: Impact on Inflationary Science

Understand

CMB polarization provides a unique window into cosmological inflation; the amplitude of the B-mode polarization from last scattering is uniquely sensitive to the energetics of inflation.

• However, numerous systematic effects arising from optical imperfections can contaminate the observed B-mode power spectrum.
• In particular, systematic effects due to the coupling of the underlying temperature and polarization fields with elliptical or otherwise asymmetric beams yield spurious systematic signals.
• This paper presents a non-perturbative analytic calculation of some of these signals.