Planck intermediate results XLIX. Parity-violation constraints from polarization data

Abstract

Parity-violating extensions of the standard electromagnetic theory cause in vacuo rotation of the plane of polarization of propagating photons. This effect, also known as cosmic birefringence, has an impact on the cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropy angular power spectra, producing non-vanishing T-B and E-B correlations that are otherwise null when parity is a symmetry. Here we present new constraints on an isotropic rotation, parametrized by the angle alpha, derived from Planck 2015 CMB polarization data. To increase the robustness of our analyses, we employ two complementary approaches, in harmonic space and in map space, the latter based on a peak stacking technique. The two approaches provide estimates for alpha that are in agreement within statistical uncertainties and are very stable against several consistency tests. Considering the T-B and E-B information jointly, we find alpha = 0 degrees: 31 +/- 0 degrees.05 (stat:) +/- 0 degrees:28 (syst:.fring) from the harmonic analysis and alpha = 0 degrees.35 +/- 0 degrees.05 (stat :) 0 degrees.28 (syst.) from the stacking approach. These constraints are compatible with no parity violation and are dominated by the systematic uncertainty in the orientation of Planck's polarization-sensitive bolometers.