The wavelet scalogram in the study of time series

Abstract

Wavelet theory has been proved to be a useful tool in the study of time series. Specifically, the scalogram allows the detection of the most representative scales (or frequencies) of a signal. In this work, we present the scalogram as a tool for studying some aspects of a given signal. Firstly, we introduce a parameter called scale index, interpreted as a measure of the degree of the signal’s non-periodicity. In this way, it can complement the maximal Lyapunov exponent method for determining chaos transitions of a given dynamical system. Secondly, we introduce a method for comparing different scalograms. This can be applied for determining if two time series follow similar patterns.