Polarized Synchrotron Foreground Assessment for CMB Experiments
  Polarized Galactic synchrotron emission is an undesirable foreground for
cosmic microwave background (CMB) experiments observing at frequencies $< 150$
GHz. We perform a combined analysis of observational data at 1.4, 2.3, 23, 30
and 33 GHz to quantify the spatial variation of the polarized synchrotron
spectral index, $\beta^{pol}$, on $\sim3.5^\circ$ scales. We compare results
from different data combinations to address limitations and inconsistencies
present in these public data, and form a composite map of $\beta^{pol}$. Data
quality masking leaves 44% sky coverage (75% for $|b|> 45^\circ$). Generally
$-3.2 < \beta^{pol} \lesssim -3$ in the inner Galactic plane and spurs, but the
Fan Region in the outer Galaxy has a flatter index. We find a clear spectral
index steepening with increasing latitude south of the Galactic plane with
$\Delta \beta^{pol}=0.4$, and a smaller steepening of $0.25$ in the north. Near
the south Galactic pole the polarized synchrotron spectral index is
$\beta^{pol} \approx -3.4$. Longitudinal spectral index variations of $\Delta
\beta^{pol} \sim 0.1$ about the latitudinal mean are also detected. Within the
BICEP2/Keck survey footprint, we find consistency with a constant value,
$\beta^{pol} = -3.25 \pm 0.04$ (statistical) $\pm 0.02$ (systematic). We
compute a map of the frequency at which synchrotron and thermal dust emission
contribute equally to the total polarized foreground. The limitations and
inconsistencies among datasets encountered in this work make clear the value of
additional independent surveys at multiple frequencies, especially between
$10-20$ GHz, provided these surveys have sufficient sensitivity and control of
instrumental systematic errors.
