Removing the mask -- reconstructing a scalar field on the sphere from a masked field

Abstract: The paper analyses a spectral approach to reconstructing a scalar field on the sphere, given only information about a masked version of the field together with precise information about the (smooth) mask. The theory is developed for a general mask, and later specialised to the case of an axially symmetric mask. Numerical experiments are given for the case of an axial mask motivated by the cosmic microwave background, assuming that the underlying field is a realisation of a Gaussian random field with an artificial angular power spectrum of moderate degree ($\ell \le 100$). The recovery is highly satisfactory in the absence of noise and even in the presence of moderate noise.