On spin scale-discretised wavelets on the sphere for the analysis of CMB polarisation

A new spin wavelet transform on the sphere is proposed to analyse the polarisation of the cosmic microwave background (CMB), a spin $pm 2$ signal observed on the celestial sphere. The scalar directional scale-discretised wavelet transform on the sphere is extended to analyse signals of arbitrary spin. The resulting spin scale-discretised wavelet transform probes the directional intensity of spin signals. A procedure is presented using this new spin wavelet transform to recover E- and B-mode signals from partial-sky observations of CMB polarisation.

On the computation of directional scale-discretized wavelet transforms on the sphere

We review scale-discretized wavelets on the sphere, which are directional and allow one to probe oriented structure in data defined on the sphere. Furthermore, scale-discretized wavelets allow in practice the exact synthesis of a signal from its wavelet coefficients. We present exact and efficient algorithms to compute the scale-discretized wavelet transform of band-limited signals on the sphere. These algorithms are implemented in the publicly available S2DW code. We release a new version of S2DW that is parallelized and contains additional code optimizations. Note that scale-discretized wavelets can be viewed as a directional generalization of needlets. Finally, we outline future improvements to the algorithms presented, which can be achieved by exploiting a new sampling theorem on the sphere developed recently by some of the authors.

Sparse image reconstruction on the sphere: implications of a new sampling theorem

We study the impact of sampling theorems on the fidelity of sparse image reconstruction on the sphere. We discuss how a reduction in the number of samples required to represent all information content of a band-limited signal acts to improve the fidelity of sparse image reconstruction, through both the dimensionality and sparsity of signals. To demonstrate this result we consider a simple inpainting problem on the sphere and consider images sparse in the magnitude of their gradient. We develop a framework for total variation (TV) inpainting on the sphere, including fast methods to render the inpainting problem computationally feasible at high-resolution. Recently a new sampling theorem on the sphere was developed, reducing the required number of samples by a factor of two for equiangular sampling schemes. Through numerical simulations we verify the enhanced fidelity of sparse image reconstruction due to the more efficient sampling of the sphere provided by the new sampling theorem.

A novel sampling theorem on the sphere

We develop a novel sampling theorem on the sphere and corresponding fast algorithms by associating the sphere with the torus through a periodic extension. The fundamental property of any sampling theorem is the number of samples required to represent a band-limited signal. To represent exactly a signal on the sphere band-limited at L, all sampling theorems on the sphere require O(L^2) samples. However, our sampling theorem requires less than half the number of samples of other equiangular sampling theorems on the sphere and an asymptotically identical, but smaller, number of samples than the Gauss-Legendre sampling theorem. The complexity of our algorithms scale as O(L^3), however, the continual use of fast Fourier transforms reduces the constant prefactor associated with the asymptotic scaling considerably, resulting in algorithms that are fast. Furthermore, we do not require any precomputation and our algorithms apply to both scalar and spin functions on the sphere without any change in computational complexity or computation time. We make our implementation of these algorithms available publicly and perform numerical experiments demonstrating their speed and accuracy up to very high band-limits. Finally, we highlight the advantages of our sampling theorem in the context of potential applications, notably in the field of compressive sampling.

Sampling theorems and compressive sensing on the sphere

We discuss a novel sampling theorem on the sphere developed by McEwen & Wiaux recently through an association between the sphere and the torus. To represent a band-limited signal exactly, this new sampling theorem requires less than half the number of samples of other equiangular sampling theorems on the sphere, such as the canonical Driscoll & Healy sampling theorem. A reduction in the number of samples required to represent a band-limited signal on the sphere has important implications for compressive sensing, both in terms of the dimensionality and sparsity of signals. We illustrate the impact of this property with an inpainting problem on the sphere, where we show superior reconstruction performance when adopting the new sampling theorem.

Implications for compressed sensing of a new sampling theorem on the sphere

A sampling theorem on the sphere has been developed recently, requiring half as many samples as alternative equiangular sampling theorems on the sphere. A reduction by a factor of two in the number of samples required to represent a band-limited signal on the sphere exactly has important implications for compressed sensing, both in terms of the dimensionality and sparsity of signals. We illustrate the impact of this property with an inpainting problem on the sphere, where we show the superior reconstruction performance when adopting the new sampling theorem compared to the alternative.

Probing dark energy with steerable wavelets through correlation of WMAP and NVSS local morphological measures

Using local morphological measures on the sphere defined through a steerable wavelet analysis, we examine the three-year WMAP and the NVSS data for correlation induced by the integrated Sachs-Wolfe (ISW) effect. The steerable wavelet constructed from the second derivative of a Gaussian allows one to define three local morphological measures, namely the signed-intensity, orientation and elongation of local features. Detections of correlation between the WMAP and NVSS data are made with each of these morphological measures. The most significant detection is obtained in the correlation of the signed-intensity of local features at a significance of 99.9%. By inspecting signed-intensity sky maps, it is possible for the first time to see the correlation between the WMAP and NVSS data by eye. Foreground contamination and instrumental systematics in the WMAP data are ruled out as the source of all significant detections of correlation. Our results provide new insight on the ISW effect by probing the morphological nature of the correlation induced between the cosmic microwave background and large scale structure of the Universe. Given the current constraints on the flatness of the Universe, our detection of the ISW effect again provides direct and independent evidence for dark energy. Moreover, this new morphological analysis may be used in future to help us to better understand the nature of dark energy.

Cosmological applications of a wavelet analysis on the sphere

The cosmic microwave background (CMB) is a relic radiation of the Big Bang and as such it contains a wealth of cosmological information. Statistical analyses of the CMB, in conjunction with other cosmological observables, represent some of the most powerful techniques available to cosmologists for placing strong constraints on the cosmological parameters that describe the origin, content and evolution of the Universe. The last decade has witnessed the introduction of wavelet analyses in cosmology and, in particular, their application to the CMB. We review here spherical wavelet analyses of the CMB that test the standard cosmological concordance model. The assumption that the temperature anisotropies of the CMB are a realisation of a statistically isotropic Gaussian random field on the sphere is questioned. Deviations from both statistical isotropy and Gaussianity are detected in the reviewed works, suggesting more exotic cosmological models may be required to explain our Universe. We also review spherical wavelet analyses that independently provide evidence for dark energy, an exotic component of our Universe of which we know very little currently. The effectiveness of accounting correctly for the geometry of the sphere in the wavelet analysis of full-sky CMB data is demonstrated by the highly significant detections of physical processes and effects that are made in these reviewed works.