Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2005/iii/paper-36/1/c/solution

Use the large-deviation speed from part (a). For every , the Chernoff bound for a normal distribution gives, for all sufficiently large ,
Consequently
because the exponent has order , exceeding by a factor . Thus and satisfy exponential equivalence. This conclusion does not require independence between and , since their difference is exactly .
The exponential equivalence theorem transfers the large deviation principle and its good rate function, giving
Large positive excursions are cheapest through the single exponential random variable; a negative excursion would require the Gaussian random variable sum to move on its faster scale. If , the deterministic shift gives the same conclusion directly.

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