For an independent sample with cumulative distribution function , the empirical distribution process converges in the supremum norm on to the F-Brownian bridge. The convergence uses outer expectation and inner expectation when finite-sample Borel measurability fails. It is a full function-space theorem, stronger than the Finite-dimensional Brownian bridge limit of an empirical distribution process. No continuity of is required. The continuous mapping theorem gives convergence of the supremum statistic; for continuous , its range contains and the bridge vanishes at zero and one, giving the Kolmogorov-Smirnov theorem. The function-space statement is stated here as a theorem; its tightness assertion is an additional ingredient beyond the finite-dimensional covariance calculation.
Outer expectation 2026-10-14
For a bounded possibly nonmeasurable real function on a probability space, its outer expectation is the infimum of expected values of measurable majorants. Its inner expectation is . They agree with the usual expected value for measurable . This permits function-space convergence in distribution for an empirical distribution process whose paths are not Borel-measurable in a nonseparable norm topology: both expectations of each bounded continuous test functional must approach its ordinary expectation under the tight measurable limiting law.
The empirical distribution function is
If is a standard Brownian motion on , the standard Brownian bridge is . It is a centred Gaussian process with continuous paths, endpoints zero, and covariance
The F-Brownian bridge is the time-changed Gaussian process . Its covariance is , exactly the covariance of the empirical distribution process .
The Donsker theorem for empirical distribution functions states that for every cumulative distribution function ,
Thus this is a function-space central limit theorem, not merely convergence of each finite collection of evaluations. The limit is a tight centred Gaussian process. No continuity of is required for this statement; a jump of can give a jump of .
For precision, is generally nonseparable, and the finite-sample process need not be a Borel-measurable random element for its norm topology. The displayed convergence in distribution has the usual empirical-process interpretation: for every bounded continuous real functional , the outer expectation and inner expectation of converge to . The outer expectation is the infimum of expectations of measurable majorants, and the inner expectation is its negative applied to . For measurable real statistics this gives ordinary convergence in distribution. The limit is tight and separably supported: maps the separable space of continuous bridge paths continuously into .
The map is Lipschitz, since
Consequently the continuous mapping theorem applied to the Donsker theorem for empirical distribution functions gives . The statistic on the left is measurable: both and are right-continuous, so its supremum equals the supremum over rational .
If is continuous, its limits at and are zero and one. The intermediate value theorem therefore shows that contains , even when is not strictly increasing. A continuous Brownian bridge is zero at its endpoints, so pathwise
We obtain the Kolmogorov-Smirnov theorem in the required form:
Continuity of is what makes the limit independent of the unknown cumulative distribution function.
Choose with . The law of has no atoms. For example, the Brownian reflection principle and conditioning a Brownian motion on its endpoint give for : the reflected endpoint density at zero is the normal density at , divided by its value at zero. Hence both one-sided maxima have continuous laws, and an atom of would require an atom of one of them. Also , since is nondegenerate. Thus such quantiles give the desired limiting coverage.
An asymptotic simultaneous confidence band is
Indeed, because , the event that for every is precisely . Its probability tends to . This is simultaneous coverage over all real , rather than separate pointwise confidence intervals.