Detection of B-mode Polarization in the Cosmic Microwave Background with
  Data from the South Pole Telescope
  Gravitational lensing of the cosmic microwave background generates a curl
pattern in the observed polarization. This "B-mode" signal provides a measure
of the projected mass distribution over the entire observable Universe and also
acts as a contaminant for the measurement of primordial gravity-wave signals.
In this Letter we present the first detection of gravitational lensing B modes,
using first-season data from the polarization-sensitive receiver on the South
Pole Telescope (SPTpol). We construct a template for the lensing B-mode signal
by combining E-mode polarization measured by SPTpol with estimates of the
lensing potential from a Herschel-SPIRE map of the cosmic infrared background.
We compare this template to the B modes measured directly by SPTpol, finding a
non-zero correlation at 7.7 sigma significance. The correlation has an
amplitude and scale-dependence consistent with theoretical expectations, is
robust with respect to analysis choices, and constitutes the first measurement
of a powerful cosmological observable.
