Hemispherical Power Asymmetry revisited: Minkowski Functionals & Non-Gaussianity

Large angle statistical anomalies like the Hemispherical Power Asymmetry (HPA) persist in modern CMB data. First seen in WMAP and later confirmed in Planck, this apparent anisotropy in the variance of the temperature field has proven to be robust against tests of diverse systematics. In this talk I will to try answer the following question: is the HPA a genuine signature of anisotropy or a subtle hint that there's something else going on? We explore this by analyzing the local morphology of the CMB using Minkowski Functionals (MFs), which allow us to examine variations in temperature variance (σ2) together with those in the gradient variance (τ2). We report significant, aligned dipoles in both quantities that exceed standard ΛCDM expectations. Additionally, we study the local goodness-of-fit to the Gaussian prediction of the MFs, which allows us to investigate whether the HPA also affects the Gaussianity of the field. This could help us distinguish between different proposed explanations for the HPA