Helmholtz’s nonlinear-interaction theory of missing fundamentals is untenable

Evidence

Helmholtz knew that a pitch at frequency f could be heard with very weak or absent partials at f, since his resonators failed to find them in some circumstances. His theories of combination tones, to be taken up in chapter 25, appeals to mechanical nonlinear interactions in the ear to create the fundamental partial missing in the arriving signal. This idea, which once again confused pitch and partial, does not stand up to scrutiny. — Eric J. Heller, Why You Hear What You Hear- An…, 2060

Categorization

• QUESTION: Worth chasing: what modern theory explains perceived pitch when the fundamental partial is absent, if not Helmholtz’s nonlinear combination tones?