What is the B mode in CMB polarization?

A linear polarization field on a surface is expressed in terms of scalar functions, providing an invariant separation into two components; one of these is the B mode, important as a signature of primordial gravitational waves, which would lend support to the inflation hypothesis. The case of a plane already exhibits the key ideas, including the formal analogy with a vector field decomposed into gradient plus curl, with the B mode like the latter. The formalism is generalized to a spherical surface using cartesian coordinates. Analysis of global data provides a path to vector and tensor spherical harmonics.
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