Spectral estimation of temporal series at unequal intervals

Many biological variables present rhythmic oscillations at different frequencies. Most common techniques, which statistically characterize temporal series and permit the study of these rhythms, require equidistant sampling. However, it is not always possible to register at regular intervals many of the variables under study, either because of the nature of the phenomenon which generates them or because of the difficulty in obtaining the samples. This paper proposes a method for spectral estimation by means of fitting to the cosine functions of sampled variables using a nonuniform point process.