Abstract
Analysis of thePlanck2018 data set indicates that the statistical properties of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) temperature anisotropies are in excellent agreement with previous studies using the 2013 and 2015 data releases. In particular, they are consistent with the Gaussian predictions of the ΛCDM cosmological model, yet also confirm the presence of several so-called “anomalies” on large angular scales. The novelty of the current study, however, lies in being a first attempt at a comprehensive analysis of the statistics of the polarization signal over all angular scales, using either maps of the Stokes parameters,QandU, or theE-mode signal derived from these using a new methodology (which we describe in an appendix). Although remarkable progress has been made in reducing the systematic effects that contaminated the 2015 polarization maps on large angular scales, it is still the case that residual systematics (and our ability to simulate them) can limit some tests of non-Gaussianity and isotropy. However, a detailed set of null tests applied to the maps indicates that these issues do not dominate the analysis on intermediate and large angular scales (i.e.,ℓ ≲ 400). In this regime, no unambiguous detections of cosmological non-Gaussianity, or of anomalies corresponding to those seen in temperature, are claimed. Notably, the stacking of CMB polarization signals centred on the positions of temperature hot and cold spots exhibits excellent agreement with the ΛCDM cosmological model, and also gives a clear indication of howPlanckprovides state-of-the-art measurements of CMB temperature and polarization on degree scales.
Highlights
This paper, one of a set associated with the 2018 release of data from the Planck1 mission (Planck Collaboration I 2020), describes a compendium of studies undertaken to determine the statistical properties of both the temperature and polarization anisotropies of the cosmic microwave background (CMB).The ΛCDM model explains the structure of the CMB in detail (Planck Collaboration VI 2020), yet it remains entirely appropriate to look for hints of departures from, or tensions with, the standard cosmological model, by examining the statistical properties of the observed radiation
In polarization we find reasonable consistency with Monte Carlo (MC) simulations on intermediate and large angular scales, but there is a considerable range of p-values found, depending on the specific combinations of data considered
We show the separation angles and degrees of alignment between the preferred directions inferred from temperature, T, and E-mode polarization data, with the p-values measured as the fraction of simulations with separation angles smaller than those inferred from the data. (a)α is the separation angle between the preferred directions computed for the temperature and E-mode polarization data
Summary
Planck Collaboration: Y. Akrami14,49,51, M. Ashdown58,5, J. Aumont85, C. Baccigalupi68, M. Ballardini20,36, A. J. Banday85,8, , R. B. Barreiro53, N. Bartolo25,54, S. Basak75, K. Benabed48,84, M. Bersanelli28,40, P. Bielewicz67,66,68, J. J. Bock55,10, J. R. Bond7, J. Borrill12,82, F. R. Bouchet48,79, F. Boulanger78,47,48, M. Bucher2,6, C. Burigana39,26,42, R. C. Butler36, E. Calabrese72, J.-F. Cardoso48, B. Casaponsa53, H. C. Chiang22,6, L. P. L. Colombo28, C. Combet60, D. Contreras19, B. P. Crill55,10, P. de Bernardis27, G. de Zotti37, J. Delabrouille2, J.-M. Delouis48,84, E. Di Valentino56, J. M. Diego53, O. Doré55,10, M. Douspis47, A. Ducout59, X. Dupac31, G. Efstathiou58,50, F. Elsner63, T. A. Enßlin63, H. K. Eriksen51, Y. Fantaye3,18, R. Fernandez-Cobos53, F. Finelli36,42, M. Frailis38, A. A. Fraisse22, E. Franceschi36, A. Frolov77, S. Galeotta38, S. Galli57, K. Ganga2, R. T. Génova-Santos52,15, M. Gerbino83, T. Ghosh71,9, J. González-Nuevo16, K. M. Górski55,86, , A. Gruppuso36,42, J. E. Gudmundsson83,22, J. Hamann76, W. Handley58,5, F. K. Hansen51, D. Herranz53, E. Hivon48,84, Z. Huang73, A. H. Jaffe46, W. C. Jones22, E. Keihänen21, R. Keskitalo12, K. Kiiveri21,35, J. Kim63, N. Krachmalnicoff68, M. Kunz13,47,3, H. Kurki-Suonio21,35, G. Lagache4, J.-M. Lamarre78, A. Lasenby5,58, M. Lattanzi26,43, C. R. Lawrence55, M. Le Jeune2, F. Levrier78, M. Liguori25,54, P. B. Lilje51, V. Lindholm21,35, M. López-Caniego31, Y.-Z. Ma56,70,65, J. F. Macías-Pérez60, G. Maggio38, D. Maino28,40,44, N. Mandolesi36,26, A. Mangilli8, A. Marcos-Caballero53, M. Maris38, P. G. Martin7, E. Martínez-González53, , S. Matarrese25,54,33, N. Mauri42, J. D. McEwen64, P. R. Meinhold23, A. Mennella28,40, M. Migliaccio30,45, M.-A. Miville-Deschênes1,47, D. Molinari26,36,43, A. Moneti48, L. Montier85,8, G. Morgante36, A. Moss74, P. Natoli26,81,43, L. Pagano47,78, D. Paoletti36,42, B. Partridge34, F. Perrotta68, V. Pettorino1, F. Piacentini27, G. Polenta81, J.-L. Puget47,48, J. P. Rachen17, M. Reinecke63, M. Remazeilles56, A. Renzi54, G. Rocha55,10, C. Rosset2, G. Roudier2,78,55, J. A. Rubiño-Martín52,15, B. Ruiz-Granados52,15, L. Salvati47, M. Savelainen21,35,62, D. Scott19, E. P. S. Shellard11, C. Sirignano25,54, R. Sunyaev63,80, A.-S. Suur-Uski21,35, J. A. Tauber32, D. Tavagnacco38,29, M. Tenti41, L. Toffolatti16,36, M. Tomasi28,40, T. Trombetti39,43, L. Valenziano36, J. Valiviita21,35, B. Van Tent61, P. Vielva53, , F. Villa36, N. Vittorio30, B. D. Wandelt48,84,24, I. K. Wehus51, A. Zacchei38, J. P. Zibin19, and and A. Zonca69
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