The fractal dimension of a test signal: Implications for system identification procedures (Q580211)

The experimental identification of a non-linear biologic transducer is often approached via consideration of its response to a stochastic test ensemble, such as Gaussian white noise. In this approach, the input- output relationship of a deterministic transducer is described by an orthogonal series of functionals. Laboratory implementation of such procedures requires the use of a particular test signal drawn from the idealized stochastic ensemble; the statistics of the particular test signal necessarily deviate from the statistics of the ensemble. This paper shows that the fractal dimension of a test signal is a key descriptor of its departure from ideality: the fractal dimension of the test signal bounds the number of terms that can reliably be identified in the orthogonal functional series of an unknown transducer.