Topic: Faster-than-light electric currents could explain pulsars

[sam]

Claiming that something can move faster than light is a good conversation-stopper in physics. People edge away from you in cocktail parties; friends never return phone calls. You just don't mess with Albert Einstein. So when I saw a press conference at the American Astronomical meeting this past January on faster-than-light phenomena in the cosmos, my first reaction was to say, Terribly sorry, but I really have to go now. Astrophysicists have been speaking of FTL motion for years, but it was always just a trick of the light that lent the impression of warp speed, a technicality of wave motion, or an exotic consequence of the expansion of the universe. These researchers were claiming a very different sort of trick. Dubious though I was, I put their press release in my "needs more thought" folder and today finally got around to taking a closer look. And what I've found is utterly fascinating.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=faster-than-light-electric-currents-2010-06-18

[Rik]

Fascinating, Sam. 

[Clive]

I thought we aready have workable pulsar models without invoking witchcraft.    

[sam]

we have some idea but nothing completely definitive. Each model seems to have flaws. .. .but yes, no witchcraft.