Rotation Field of the Cosmic Microwave Background — Extended EB Cross-Correlation Analysis and Robustness Validation of Large-Scale Anisotropy (v1.41)

Summary This release refines and extends the MASTER-calibrated rotation-field analysis of Planck 2018 polarization data first presented in v 1.4. Using combined SMICA and NILC EB cross-spectra over multipoles ℓ = 500–1500, the α(ℓ) field is decomposed into spherical-harmonic modes (αₗₘ for L ≤ 10) to map the large-scale birefringence structure of the CMB. Version 1.41 re-evaluates the α–α angular-power spectrum with improved MASTER window-function corrections and expanded robustness tests. Results confirm the persistence of the coherent dipole (L = 1) and its alignment near Galactic (ℓ, b) ≈ (278°, 18°), consistent across component-separation methods, half-missions, and mask apodizations. The combined dipole amplitude remains significant (8.5 σ isotropic and 4–5 σ directional components), indicating that the rotation field is a real anisotropic feature of the CMB polarization data rather than a systematic artifact. The updated calibration confirms that the rotation pattern and power distribution are stable under masking, frequency splits, and linearity tests. The observed anisotropic dipole and two-harmonic structure (Δℓ ≈ 180 and 360) remain consistent with theoretical expectations for a slowly varying pseudoscalar (axion-like) field coupled to photons, breaking mirror symmetry on cosmological scales. Contents MASTER-extended α–α power spectrum and dipole maps (L ≤ 10) Frequency and half-mission cross-validation tests Calibration and linearity checks with updated window functions Reproducibility scripts and evaluation figures Update (June 2026): This release forms part of an iterative research series in which analysis methods, masks, multipole selections, and calibration procedures were progressively refined. Later releases establish the physical calibration of the α(n̂) field while preserving the underlying large-scale anisotropic structure. The α(n̂) map used in this release is an EB cross-correlation proxy expressed in arbitrary units rather than a physically calibrated rotation-angle map. Consequently, absolute amplitude values reported in this release should not be interpreted as quantitative measurements of cosmic birefringence rotation. The dipole remains highly significant after physical calibration (Z ≈ 38; see v2.30, DOI:10.5281/zenodo.20755330). Using the dipole direction computed by this release’s archived pipeline (Galactic longitude = 273.26°, latitude = −0.99°), the calibrated α(n̂) map presented in v2.30 yields a dipole direction of approximately (281.5°, 32.0°), corresponding to an angular separation of approximately 33.9° from the archived v1.41 result. Accordingly, this release should be interpreted as documenting an early stage in the development of the α(n̂) reconstruction rather than a final physically calibrated map. Results based on relative spatial morphology and the detection of large-scale anisotropy remain informative within the scope of this release. The original publication is preserved unchanged to maintain the historical scientific record and full reproducibility. PUBLICATION RECORD PREDECESSOR PUBLICATION (Separate Record) Sep 20, 2025 (v1.0) — Harmonic Phase Alignments in Planck 2018 CMB — DOI:10.5281/zenodo.17167268 MAIN RESEARCH SERIES Concept DOI:10.5281/zenodo.17317397 Oct 10, 2025 (v1.0) — Scale-Dependent Anisotropic Birefringence: Initial Detection — DOI:10.5281/zenodo.17317398 Oct 20, 2025 (v1.1) — Scale-Dependent Anisotropic Birefringence: Validation Dataset — DOI:10.5281/zenodo.17396428 Oct 21, 2025 (v1.2) — Two-Harmonic Extension — DOI:10.5281/zenodo.17410764 Oct 28, 2025 (v1.3) — Two-Harmonic Dipole Verification — DOI:10.5281/zenodo.17468988 Nov 1, 2025 (v1.4) — MASTER-Calibrated Dipole — DOI:10.5281/zenodo.17500791 Nov 1, 2025 (v1.41) — Extended MASTER Calibration and Robustness — DOI:10.5281/zenodo.17508908 Nov 7, 2025 (v1.42) — Dependence-Aware Joint Validation — DOI:10.5281/zenodo.17553829 Nov 8, 2025 (v1.43) — Phase Model Validation — DOI:10.5281/zenodo.17561313 Nov 8, 2025 (v1.44) — Axis + Frequency + Half-Mission Validation — DOI:10.5281/zenodo.17561768 Nov 9, 2025 (v1.5) — Multipole Structure and Model Selection — DOI:10.5281/zenodo.17562965 Nov 9, 2025 (v1.6) — Phenomenology and Physical Interpretation — DOI:10.5281/zenodo.17566197 Nov 9, 2025 (v1.7) — Prediction and Experiment Overlays — DOI:10.5281/zenodo.17566870 Nov 9, 2025 (v1.8) — Model Rejection and Δℓ Persistence — DOI:10.5281/zenodo.17567241 Nov 10, 2025 (v2.0) — Intrinsic Periodicity in ℓ-Space — DOI:10.5281/zenodo.17574048 Nov 10, 2025 (v2.1) — Physical Origin of Δℓ Modulation — DOI:10.5281/zenodo.17577086 Nov 11, 2025 (v2.2) — Universe-Model Evaluation — DOI:10.5281/zenodo.17585419 Nov 12, 2025 (v2.3) — Domain Geometry and Topological Inference — DOI:10.5281/zenodo.17594157 Nov 13, 2025 (v2.4) — Real-Space Correlation of the Birefringence Field — DOI:10.5281/zenodo.17597537 Nov 13, 2025 (v2.5) — Spectral Surgery on the Δℓ ≈ 109 Harmonic — DOI:10.5281/zenodo.17604982 Nov 14, 2025 (v2.6) — Angular Locality of the Δℓ = 109 Standing Wave — DOI:10.5281/zenodo.17613348 Nov 15, 2025 (v2.7) — Sky-Local Origin of the Δℓ ≈ 109 Standing Wave — DOI:10.5281/zenodo.17620029 Nov 15, 2025 (v2.8) — Domain Topology of the Δℓ ≈ 109 Standing Wave — DOI:10.5281/zenodo.17620605 Nov 16, 2025 (v2.9) — Dual-Domain Coherence and Boundary Geometry — DOI:10.5281/zenodo.17621871 Nov 17, 2025 (v2.10) — Boundary Sequence Structure on the Dual-Domain Loop — DOI:10.5281/zenodo.17635811 Nov 19, 2025 (v2.11) — Boundary Standing-Wave and Phase-Structure Analysis — DOI:10.5281/zenodo.17648033 Nov 21, 2025 (v2.12) — Boundary Universality and Standing-Wave Fingerprints — DOI:10.5281/zenodo.17676377 Nov 23, 2025 (v2.13) — Interior Propagation and Boundary-Driven Structure — DOI:10.5281/zenodo.17693540 Jun 18, 2026 (v2.29) — Rotation Field of the Cosmic Microwave Background — Interior Propagation Audit & Harmonic Normalization — DOI:10.5281/zenodo.20753037 Jun 19, 2026 (v2.30) — Calibrated Interior Propagation Validation — DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.20755330 Jun 20, 2026 (v2.31) — Rotation Field of the Cosmic Microwave Background — Physical Origin of Boundary-to-Interior Propagation — DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.20777435 Jun 21, 2026 (v2.32) — Rotation Field of the Cosmic Microwave Background — Antipodal Specificity, Boundary Ordering, and Cross-Scale Spectral Organization — DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.20787307 22 Blue - The Heartbeat of the Universe