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Half-wave-plate non idealities propagated to component separated CMB $B$-modes
Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics · Submitted 19 Mar 2026 · Published version
abstract compiled · 2026-09-23 · no language-model review
The authors' main claim We find that standard HWP models, reduce the biases only down to $r \sim 10^{-2}$, while a more advanced approach based on a generalization of both map-making and component separation, implemented using JAX, can suppress it down to $r \sim 7 \times 10^{-4}$.
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The abstract, sentence by sentence
We assess the impact of non-ideal, continuously rotating half-wave plates (HWPs) on cosmic microwave background (CMB) polarization measurements targeting large angular scale signal. Such hardware solutions are used in or planned for multiple modern CMB efforts, both ground-based, for instance, small aperture telescopes of Simons Observatory or satellite borne, such as LiteBIRD. Using a frequency-dependent parametric model based on the Mueller matrix formalism, we characterize the induced mixing of Stokes parameters. Through end-to-end simulations, we propagate these effects from time-ordered data to cosmology via map-making and component-separation stages, quantifying their impact on the $B$-modes power spectrum and the tensor-to-scalar ratio, $r$. Our analysis shows that neglecting the frequency dependence of a three-layer HWP gives rise to significant polarization leakage, biases foreground spectral parameters, and leads to residual contamination in the recovered CMB maps. To mitigate these effects, we investigate multiple analysis strategies progressively incorporating a more complete description of the instrumental response. At the map-making level, this requires generalizing the standard pointing matrix to account for the full time- and frequency-dependent instrumental response. We find that standard HWP models, reduce the biases only down to $r \sim 10^{-2}$, while a more advanced approach based on a generalization of both map-making and component separation, implemented using JAX, can suppress it down to $r \sim 7 \times 10^{-4}$. Finally, we extend this approach to a time-domain component-separation, enabling a statistically consistent treatment of instrumental response in the presence of time-domain features. We demonstrate its feasibility and validate it by performing a full end-to-end analysis, recovering results in good agreement with the map-based ones.
background contribution method result interpretation main claim
| # | sentence | role | the authors' own work | states the main conclusion | strength |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| s0 | We assess the impact of non-ideal, continuously rotating half-wave plates (HWPs) on cosmic microwave background (CMB) polarization measurements targeting large angular scale signal. | contribution 0.92 | 0.78 | 0.04 | asserted 0.77 |
| s1 | Such hardware solutions are used in or planned for multiple modern CMB efforts, both ground-based, for instance, small aperture telescopes of Simons Observatory or satellite borne, such as LiteBIRD. | background 1.00 | 0.05 | 0.02 | asserted 1.00 |
| s2 | Using a frequency-dependent parametric model based on the Mueller matrix formalism, we characterize the induced mixing of Stokes parameters. | method 0.99 | 0.94 | 0.02 | asserted 0.97 |
| s3 | Through end-to-end simulations, we propagate these effects from time-ordered data to cosmology via map-making and component-separation stages, quantifying their impact on the $B$-modes power spectrum and the tensor-to-scalar ratio, $r$. | method 0.91 | 0.96 | 0.09 | asserted 0.93 |
| s4 | Our analysis shows that neglecting the frequency dependence of a three-layer HWP gives rise to significant polarization leakage, biases foreground spectral parameters, and leads to residual contamination in the recovered CMB maps. | result 0.99 | 0.94 | 0.50 | asserted 1.00 |
| s5 | To mitigate these effects, we investigate multiple analysis strategies progressively incorporating a more complete description of the instrumental response. | method 0.73 | 0.80 | 0.05 | asserted 0.56 |
| s6 | At the map-making level, this requires generalizing the standard pointing matrix to account for the full time- and frequency-dependent instrumental response. | method 0.97 | 0.47 | 0.04 | asserted 0.92 |
| s7 | We find that standard HWP models, reduce the biases only down to $r \sim 10^{-2}$, while a more advanced approach based on a generalization of both map-making and component separation, implemented using JAX, can suppress it down to $r \sim 7 \times 10^{-4}$. | result 1.00 | 0.96 | 0.64 | asserted 1.00 |
| s8 | Finally, we extend this approach to a time-domain component-separation, enabling a statistically consistent treatment of instrumental response in the presence of time-domain features. | contribution 0.56 | 0.94 | 0.07 | asserted 0.98 |
| s9 | We demonstrate its feasibility and validate it by performing a full end-to-end analysis, recovering results in good agreement with the map-based ones. | result 0.91 | 0.96 | 0.11 | asserted 1.00 |
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Original abstract
We assess the impact of non-ideal, continuously rotating half-wave plates (HWPs) on cosmic microwave background (CMB) polarization measurements targeting large angular scale signal. Such hardware solutions are used in or planned for multiple modern CMB efforts, both ground-based, for instance, small aperture telescopes of Simons Observatory or satellite borne, such as LiteBIRD. Using a frequency-dependent parametric model based on the Mueller matrix formalism, we characterize the induced mixing of Stokes parameters. Through end-to-end simulations, we propagate these effects from time-ordered data to cosmology via map-making and component-separation stages, quantifying their impact on the $B$-modes power spectrum and the tensor-to-scalar ratio, $r$. Our analysis shows that neglecting the frequency dependence of a three-layer HWP gives rise to significant polarization leakage, biases foreground spectral parameters, and leads to residual contamination in the recovered CMB maps. To mitigate these effects, we investigate multiple analysis strategies progressively incorporating a more complete description of the instrumental response. At the map-making level, this requires generalizing the standard pointing matrix to account for the full time- and frequency-dependent instrumental response. We find that standard HWP models, reduce the biases only down to $r \sim 10^{-2}$, while a more advanced approach based on a generalization of both map-making and component separation, implemented using JAX, can suppress it down to $r \sim 7 \times 10^{-4}$. Finally, we extend this approach to a time-domain component-separation, enabling a statistically consistent treatment of instrumental response in the presence of time-domain features. We demonstrate its feasibility and validate it by performing a full end-to-end analysis, recovering results in good agreement with the map-based ones.
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Built on , provides a modular operator algebra inspired by [ref] and [ref] , enabling an explicit representation of CMB acquisition and map-making pipelines.
Lineax: unified linear solves and linear least-squares in JAX and Equinox · Implementation with · 0.94
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