Description of sunspot cycles by orthogonal functions

Based on the principal component analysis technique and evidence for a 22-yr double-sunspot cycle periodicity. The time series of sunspot numbers is represented as a sum of mutually orthogonal eigenvectors in the time domain. It is shown that the first two eigenvectors account for about 90 percent of the cumulative 'signal power,' and that this is sufficient for reconstruction of the raw data curve. It is also noted that the second eigenvector behaves as the time derivative of the first, and that a phase-plane plot of these eigenvectors (i.e. a plot of a variable vs. its rate of change) suggests that the sun's sunspot cycle is driven by an oscillator; the implication is that, embedded within the sun, a chronometer is at work (e.g. Dicke, 1979).