A physiological monitoring system may use photonic signals at one or more wavelengths to determine physiological parameters. The system may monitor a photoplethysmograph (PPG) signal, which may include a periodic component, and an aperiodic component. An attractor may be generated based on a first segment of the PPG signal and a second segment of the PPG signal shifted in time relative to the first segment by a time delay. The system may analyze points of the attractor that correspond to a curve, analyze the distribution of the attractor about a curve, or both, to determine a signal quality metric indicative of cycle to cycle variation in the PPG signal.
