The main focus of this paper is on the resolution performance that can
be achieved by spectral analysis at and beyond the Fourier limit. A s
imple heuristical expression is derived for the resolution threshold s
ignal-to-noise ratio (SNR), i.e. the SNR above which the spectral line
detection and accurate location are highly probable. Empirical eviden
ce is provided, which lends support to the predictions based on theore
tical analysis.