Gaussianity test of Planck CMB polarization data using the statistics of unpolarized points (Part I)

We present a detailed test for Gaussianity of Planck polarization data using statistics of unpolarized points on the sky, i.e. such points where the linear polarization vanishes. The algorithm we propose for finding such points is stable and guarantees their 100% detection. Our approach allows us to analyze the data for Gaussianity of the signal at different angular scales and detect areas on the polarization maps with a significant contribution from unremoved non-Gaussian foregrounds. We found very strong deviations from Gaussianity for E and B modes in the observational data both over the entire sky and in some specific regions of the celestial sphere.
Comment: 12 pages, 6 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev. D