For times and real coefficients , the linear combination of coordinates is
The Gaussianity of deterministic Brownian stochastic integrals makes this a centered normal random variable. Indeed step-function approximations give linear combinations of independent normal increments, and the Itô isometry gives convergence in ; their characteristic functions converge to that of a normal variable with the limiting variance. Since every linear combination is normal, the coordinate vector is a Gaussian random vector. Appending the deterministic coordinate preserves that property, so is a centered Gaussian process on .
For , the covariance version of the Itô isometry gives
At the covariance is zero because , agreeing with the formula. Thus the Brownian bridge covariance kernel is
Its finite-dimensional distributions identify it as a Brownian bridge; continuity at the terminal endpoint is established next.
Let be standard Brownian motion with its continuous version, and define
Every finite vector is a linear transform of a Gaussian Brownian vector, so is a centred Gaussian process. Using ,
For , this is , the prescribed Brownian bridge covariance kernel. Its paths are continuous on the probability-one event of Brownian continuity, because is continuous on every sample. The construction also gives . Thus it realizes a Brownian bridge with almost surely continuous paths, and part (i) identifies its process law.
The kernel is the Brownian bridge covariance kernel. If , differentiating the integral equation twice gives
The normalized solutions and eigenvalues are therefore
The stated kernel is the Brownian bridge covariance kernel. Its eigenvalue equation is
The right-hand side vanishes at and , and differentiating it twice gives
Thus the normalized eigenfunctions and eigenvalues are
The Karhunen–Loève expansion is consequently
with convergence in , where and . Covariance alone does not imply that the are independent or normal; they are independent standard normal variables when is Gaussian.
Time reversal of a Brownian bridge Created 2026-10-14 Updated 2026-10-31
The Brownian bridge covariance kernel is invariant under reversing both times, and its mean is zero. The two centered Gaussian processes therefore have equal finite-dimensional laws. Equality on countably many rational coordinates transfers the event of continuity at zero to the reversed endpoint. Interior continuity then extends the rational-time limit to all times. This proves the terminal continuity of the stochastic integral representation of a Brownian bridge.