News in Brief Physics

Pulsar pair ripples spacetime

Duo’s tightening orbits provide even stronger evidence for gravitational waves

PULSAR PAIR  A system of two radio beam–emitting pulsars locked in tight orbits, illustrated here, is an ideal test bed for measuring gravitational waves and other effects of general relativity. 

© MPIfR, M. Kramer

By Andrew Grant

- More than 2 years ago

GENEVA — A dancing duo of cosmic beacons has provided scientists with the most precise measurement, albeit an indirect one, of ripples in spacetime called gravitational waves.