Solution (source code)

= Solution

Use the following normalization for the <Lasso estimator>, leaving the intercept unpenalized:
$$
(\widehat a,\widehat\beta_\lambda^L)\in\operatorname*{argmin}_{a\in\mathbb R,\ b\in\mathbb R^p}\left\{\frac1{2n}\|Y-a\mathbf1_n-Xb\|_2^2+\lambda\|b\|_1\right\}.
$$
A different convention for the factor in front of squared error rescales the <regularization parameter>. With this convention, centering of the columns gives $\widehat a=\overline Y$. Put $Y_c=Y-\overline Y\mathbf1_n$ and $\epsilon_c=\epsilon-\overline\epsilon\mathbf1_n$. Then $Y_c=X\beta+\epsilon_c$ and $X^T\epsilon_c=X^T\epsilon$. The <Lasso> minimizes $\|Y_c-Xb\|_2^2/(2n)+\lambda\|b\|_1$. A minimum exists since $\lambda>0$ makes this continuous objective coercive; the bound below holds for every minimizer.

We first prove the needed <sharp two-sided Gaussian tail bound>. If $Z$ is standard normal and $t\geq0$, substituting $u=t+v$ in its density integral yields
$$
\begin{aligned}
\mathbb P(|Z|>t)&=\sqrt{\frac2\pi}\int_t^\infty e^{-u^2/2}\,du\\
&=e^{-t^2/2}\sqrt{\frac2\pi}\int_0^\infty e^{-v^2/2-tv}\,dv\leq e^{-t^2/2}.
\end{aligned}
$$
The last integral without $e^{-tv}$ is one after multiplication by $\sqrt{2/\pi}$. In particular this proves the two-sided bound with no extra factor of two.

Since $\|x_j\|_2^2=n$, each $x_j^T\epsilon/(\sigma\sqrt n)$ has a <standard normal distribution>. The <union bound>, which does not require independent columns or independent scores, gives the <Gaussian score event for the Lasso>
$$
\mathcal E=\left\{\left\|\frac{X^T\epsilon}{n}\right\|_\infty\leq\frac\lambda2\right\},\qquad
\mathbb P(\mathcal E^c)\leq p\exp\left(-\frac{n\lambda^2}{8\sigma^2}\right)=p^{1-A^2/8}.
$$
Here the positive tuning choice presupposes $p\geq2$ and $\sigma>0$. When the displayed lower bound is negative it is simply a valid, vacuous lower bound. For $p=1$ the prescribed parameter is zero and the probability lower bound is also zero, so no positive-parameter assertion is supplied by that prescription.

Let $\delta=\widehat\beta_\lambda^L-\beta$ and $Q=\|X\delta\|_2^2/n$. Comparing the <Lasso> objective at its minimizer and at $\beta$ and expanding the squares gives the <Basic inequality for the Lasso>
$$
Q\leq \frac2n\epsilon^TX\delta+2\lambda(\|\beta\|_1-\|\beta+\delta\|_1).
$$
On $\mathcal E$, the stochastic term is at most $\lambda\|\delta\|_1$. Because $\beta_N=0$, the <triangle inequality> gives
$$
\|\beta\|_1-\|\beta+\delta\|_1\leq\|\delta_S\|_1-\|\delta_N\|_1.
$$
It follows that
$$
Q+\lambda\|\delta_N\|_1\leq3\lambda\|\delta_S\|_1.
$$
In particular $\|\delta_N\|_1\leq3\|\delta_S\|_1$, which is the <Lasso cone condition>. The given <Compatibility condition for the Lasso> is therefore applicable and gives $\|\delta_S\|_1\leq\sqrt{sQ}/\phi_0$.

Adding $\lambda\|\delta_S\|_1$ to the preceding inequality and using compatibility now yields
$$
Q+\lambda\|\delta\|_1\leq4\lambda\|\delta_S\|_1\leq\frac{4\lambda\sqrt{sQ}}{\phi_0}\leq\frac Q2+\frac{8\lambda^2s}{\phi_0^2}.
$$
The last inequality is just the nonnegativity of $(\sqrt{Q/2}-\sqrt8\lambda\sqrt{s}/\phi_0)^2$. Thus $Q+2\lambda\|\delta\|_1\leq16\lambda^2s/\phi_0^2$, and dropping one nonnegative coefficient-error term gives
$$
\boxed{\frac1n\|X(\widehat\beta_\lambda^L-\beta)\|_2^2+\lambda\|\widehat\beta_\lambda^L-\beta\|_1\leq\frac{16A^2}{\phi_0^2}\frac{\sigma^2s\log p}{n}.}
$$
This <prediction and coefficient error bound for compatible Lasso> holds on $\mathcal E$, and hence with the required probability. If $s=0$, the earlier basic inequality directly forces $\delta=0$ on $\mathcal E$, so the zero right side is also correct.