  We introduce a new method to measure frequency separations and mode lifetimes
of stochastically excited and damped oscillations, so-called solar-like
oscillations. Our method shows that velocity data of the red giant star ksi Hya
(Frandsen et al. 2002) support a large frequency separation between modes of
roughly 7 microHz. We also conclude that the data are consistent with a mode
lifetime of 2 days, which is so short relative to its pulsation period that
none of the observed frequencies are unambiguous. Hence, we argue that the
maximum asteroseismic output that can be obtained from these data is an average
large frequency separation, the oscillation amplitude and the average mode
lifetime. However, the significant discrepancy between the theoretical
calculations of the mode lifetime (Houdek & Gough 2002) and our result based on
the observations of ksi Hya, implies that red giant stars can help us better
understand the damping and driving mechanisms of solar-like p-modes by
convection.
