What is Least-squares spectral analysis?

Least-squares spectral analysis is a method of estimating a frequency spectrum, based on a least squares fit of sinusoids to data samples, similar to Fourier analysis. Fourier analysis, the most used spectral method in science, generally boosts long-periodic noise in long gapped records; LSSA mitigates such problems. Unlike with Fourier analysis, data need not be equally spaced to use LSSA.

LSSA is also known as the Vaníček method or the Gauss-Vaniček method after Petr Vaníček, and as the Lomb method or the Lomb–Scargle periodogram, based on the contributions of Nicholas R. Lomb and, independently, Jeffrey D. Scargle.