We address the problem of assessing the statistical significance of candidate periodicities found using the so-called 'multiharmonic' 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 author's investigation made for the Lomb-Scargle periodogram is extended to the more general multiharmonic periodogram. As a result, closed and efficient analytic approximations to the false alarm probability, associated with multiharmonic periodogram peaks, are obtained. The resulting analytic approximations are tested under various conditions using Monte Carlo simulations. The simulations showed a nice precision and robustness of these approximations.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1541-1548
Number of pages8
JournalMonthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Volume395
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 May 2009

    Research areas

  • Methods: data analysis, Methods: statistical, Surveys

    Scopus subject areas

  • Space and Planetary Science
  • Astronomy and Astrophysics

ID: 36296238