Abstract
Physics Department, University of Richmond, Richmond, VA 23173(Dated: February 1, 2008)Measurement of the amplitudes of both the E and B components of the CMB polarization willopen new windows onto the early Universe. Using a Fisher-matrix formalism, we calculate therequired sensitivities and observing times for an experiment to measure the amplitudes of bothE and B components as a function of sky coverage, taking full account of the fact that the twocomponents cannot be perfectly separated in an incomplete sky map. We also present a simpleapproximation scheme that accounts for mixing of E and B components in computing predictederrors in the E-component power spectrum amplitude. In an experiment with small sky coverage,mixing of the two components increases the difficulty of detecting the subdominant B component bya factor of two or more in observing time; however, for larger survey sizes the effect of mixing is lesspronounced. As a result, the optimal experimental setup for detecting the B component must coveran area of sky significantly larger than is found when mixing is neglected. Surprisingly, mixing ofE and B components can enhance the detectability of the E component by increasing the effectivenumber of independent modes that probe this component. The formalism presented in this papercan be used to explore ways in which survey geometry and nonuniform noise due to uneven skycoverage will affect detectability of the two components.
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