This paper is concerned with the characterization of
α-modulation
spaces by Banach
frames, i.e., stable and redundant non-orthogonal expansions, constituted of functions obtained by a suitable combination of translation, modulation and dilation of a mother atom. In particular, the parameter
α[0,1] governs the dependence of the dilation factor on the frequency. The result is achieved by exploiting intrinsic properties of localization of such
frames. The well-known Gabor and wavelet
frames arise as special cases (
α=0) and limiting case
(α→1), to characterize respectively modulation and Besov
spaces. This intermediate theory contributes to a further answer to the theoretical need of a common interpretation and framework between Gabor and wavelet theory and to the construction of new tools for applications in time–frequency analysis, signal processing, and numerical analysis.