For fixed , independence and the product large-deviation principle give the vector the good rate function . Since the minimum is a continuous map, the contraction principle for large deviations gives
In every vector in this fibre, at least one coordinate equals and all others are at least . The large-deviation rate of a minimum of independent copies therefore reduces the infimum to
If , the other coordinates can equal and cost zero. If , the rate function is increasing on , so every coordinate costs at least and equality is achieved when all coordinates equal . For the cost is infinite. Thus
At the threshold both expressions are zero. Goodness follows from the contraction principle for large deviations. A small minimum requires only one atypically small mean; a large minimum requires all means to be atypically large, which explains the two costs.