Planck intermediate results. XLI. A map of lensing-induced B-modes
Author(s)
Date Issued
2015-12-01
Mission(s)
Abstract
The lensing-induced $B$-mode signal is a valuable probe of the dark matter distribution integrated back to the last-scattering surface, with a broad kernel that peaks at $zsimeq2$. It also constitutes an important contaminant for the extraction of the primary CMB $B$-modes from inflation. Combining all-sky coverage and high resolution and sensitivity, Planck provides accurate nearly all-sky measurements of both the polarization $E$-mode signal and the integrated mass distribution via the reconstruction of the CMB gravitational lensing. By combining these two data products, we have produced an all-sky template map of the secondary CMB $B$-modes using a real-space algorithm that minimizes the impact of sky masks. The cross-correlation of this template with an observed (primordial and secondary) $B$-mode map can be used to measure the lensing $B$-mode power spectrum at all angular scales. In particular when cross-correlating with the $B$-mode contribution directly derived from the Planck polarization maps, we obtain lensing-induced $B$-mode power spectrum measurements at a significance of $12,sigma$, which are in agreement with the theoretical expectation derived from the Planck best-fit $Lambda$CDM model. This unique nearly all-sky secondary $B$-mode template, which includes the lensing-induced information from intermediate to small ($10lesssim elllesssim 1000$) angular scales, is delivered as part of the Planck 2015 public data release. It will be particularly useful for experiments searching for primordial $B$-modes, such as BICEP2/Keck Array or LiteBIRD, since it will enable an estimate to be made of the secondary (i.e., lensing) contribution to the measured total CMB $B$-modes.