Crab Pulsar's Zebra Stripes Explained
For over two decades, mysterious "zebra stripe" patterns in radio waves from the Crab Pulsar have baffled astronomers, but new research now reveals they are caused by a cosmic "tug-of-war" between the pulsar's gravity and its surrounding plasma. This groundbreaking discovery, led by the University of Kansas, marks the first time gravity and plasma have been observed collaboratively shaping a signal from space, explaining the unique interference patterns.