CMB polarization map derived from the WMAP 5 year data through Harmonic Internal Linear Combination

Abstract

We have derived whole-sky CMB polarization maps from the WMAP 5 year polarization data, using the Harmonic Internal Linear Combination (HILC) method. Our HILC method incorporates spatial variability of linear weights in a natural way and yields continuous linear weights over the entire sky. To estimate the power spectrum of HILC maps, we have derived a unbiased quadratic estimator, which is similar to the WMAP team's cross power estimator, but in a more convenient form for HILC maps. From our CMB polarization map, we have obtained TE correlation and E mode power spectra without applying any mask. They are similar to the WMAP team's estimation and consistent with the WMAP best-fit $Λ$CDM model. Foreground reduction by HILC method is more effective for high resolution and low noise data. Hence, our HILC method will enable effective foreground reduction in polarization data from the Planck surveyor.