Enigmatic "zebra"-like spectrum of the Crab pulsar radio is finally solved (and not just that)

The Crab pulsar radio emission exhibits a peculiar spectral band structure. Despite being known for almost 20 years, this structure has so far been hard to explain. The model explaining the spectral "zebra" pattern of the high-frequency interpulse (HFIP) of the Crab pulsar radio emission is proposed. The observed emission bands are diffraction fringes in the spectral domain. The pulsar's own plasma-filled magnetosphere plays a role of a frequency-dependent "diffraction screen". The observed features such as the proportional band spacing, high polarization, constant position angle, and others are explained. The model is testable and several predictions are made. The two "high-frequency components" observed at the same frequencies as the HFIP are proposed to be related to HFIP. Exciting predictions are made for observations in the mm/sub-mm range. Furthermore, the technique allows one to perform real "tomography" of the pulsar magnetosphere, that is, in essence, resolving km-size scales at the distance of 2 kpc.