Statistical isotropy of the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe data:: A bipolar power spectrum analysis

The statistical expectation values of the temperature fluctuations of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) are assumed to be preserved under rotations of the sky. We use the bipolar power spectrum (BiPS) proposed in Hajian & Souradeep to investigate the statistical isotropy (SI) of the CMB anisotropy maps recently measured by the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP). The method can isolate and probe specific regions of choice in multipole space using appropriate window functions. The BiPS is estimated for full-sky CMB anisotropy maps based on the first-year WMAP data using a range of window functions. The BiPS spectra computed for both full-sky maps for all our window functions are consistent with zero, roughly within 2 sigma. The null BiPS results may be interpreted as an absence of strong violation of statistical isotropy in the first-year WMAP data on angular scales larger than that corresponding to l similar to 60. However, pending a careful direct comparison, our results do not necessarily conflict with the specific SI-related anomalies reported using other statistical tests.