Detecting non-sinusoidal periodicities in observational data using multi-harmonic periodograms
arXiv:0811.0907 · doi:10.1111/j.1365-2966.2009.14634.x
Abstract
We address the problem of assessing the statistical significance of candidate periodicities found using the so-called `multi-harmonic' periodogram, which is being used for detection of non-sinusoidal signals, and is based on the least-squares fitting of truncated Fourier series. The recent investigation (Baluev 2008) made for the Lomb-Scargle periodogram is extended to the more general multi-harmonic periodogram. As a result, closed and efficient analytic approximations to the false alarm probability, associated with multi-harmonic periodogram peaks, are obtained. The resulting analytic approximations are tested under various conditions using Monte Carlo simulations. The simulations showed a suitable precision and robustness of these approximations.
8 pages, 6 figures, 1 table. Accepted to MNRAS