Bispectral analysis, recently introduced as a technique for revealing time-phase relationships, is extended to make use of wavelets rather than Fourier analysis. It is thus able to encompass instantaneous phase-time dependence for the case of two or more coupled nonlinear oscillators. The method is demonstrated and evaluated by use of test signals from a pair of coupled Poincaré oscillators. It promises to be useful in a wide range of scientific contexts for studies of interacting oscillators whose basic frequencies are significantly time variable.
By combining the advantages of wavelet and bispectral analyses, the paper introduces a new paradigm for the treatment of oscillatory time series from nonstationary systems. Will be especially valuable in biological applications, but also more widely relevant to complex systems quite generally throughout science and technology. RAE_import_type : Journal article RAE_uoa_type : Physics