Aims: This paper investigates the diagnostic potential of narrow, frequency-windowed autocorrelation as a tool for probing the properties of solar-like oscillating stars when the determination of individual frequencies is impossible or is subject to large uncertainties, and when mode identification is difficult.
Methods: I use theoretical analysis including phase-shifts, modelling, and data analysis.
Results: Narrow-windowed autocorrelation of a time series can reveal the variation with frequency of the large separations Delta(nu) and the half large separations Delta₀₁, Delta₁₀, thus helping with mode identification. This technique is applied to the CoRoT p-mode oscillators HD 49933, HD 175726, HD 181420, and HD 181906. Theoretical analysis and modelling are presented to illustrate the technique.