On "zebra" radio emission of the Crab pulsar. Solving the 15 year old puzzle*

The Crab pulsar produces peculiar radio emission during the high-frequency interpulse (HFIP). Its spectrum resembles a "zebra" pattern and consists of emission bands in the 5-30 GHz range. The bands are proportionally-spaced with "delta omega ~ 0.06 omega". Despite extensive theoretical efforts, no satisfactory mechanism explaining the HFIP puzzle has been proposed for over 15 years. Here, we propose a model that resolves this long-standing puzzle.