How do I extract peak frequencies? [closed]

Suppose I have large text file filled with numerical data. Then I do Fourier operation with this file and plot the result:

dataf = Import["filename.txt", {"Data", {All}, {2}}];
numbert = 800/0.05;
T = 800;
fourier = Sqrt[2 Pi]/Sqrt[numbert]* Abs[Fourier[dataf]];

ListPlot[fourier,
Joined -> True, PlotRange -> {{0, 10}, {0, 1}},
DataRange -> {0, 2 Pi numbert/T}]


How can I obtain numerical values of frequencies detected by ListPlot? I tried FindPeaks, but it gets me big amount of data I can't work with.

I searched for examples, but didn't find anything helpful.

• See this. Does that answer your question? Nov 9 '15 at 16:36
• Difficult to say much without the actual data. The link by @rhermans is promising though. Nov 9 '15 at 18:23
• Try to increase the second parameter in FindPeaks (a smooth scale) or specify minimum peak height by the fourth parameter. Nov 10 '15 at 0:32
• Some judicious use of the FourierParameters option would clean up some of the constants in your code. Nov 10 '15 at 11:27

I would try with the Select function. If your data is a list of pairs (freq,amp) then the code you would need would be something like:

Select[data,#[[2]]>xx&]


Where data is the list of pairs and xx is the threshold value. Since the spectrum would have a finite number of peaks as would be clear by looking into the plot, you can choose the xx value appropriately.

Without seeing your data and the output of FindPeaks, it is hard to say why the function does not work (it worked for me), but I wrote this simple function that will return the positions of peaks in an array:

peaks = Flatten[Position[Differences[Differences[array]], -2]] + 1


Given:

array = {0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 3, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 1, 1};


peaks will return:

{5, 12}

Incidentally, FindPeaks returns:

{{5, 4}, {12, 7}}

which is in the following notation: {position, value}.

I hope this helps!