Asymptotic Distribution of Coordinates on High Dimensional Spheres

Abstract

The coordinates $x_i$ of a point $x = (x_1, x_2, \dots, x_n)$ chosen at random according to a uniform distribution on the $\ell_2(n)$-sphere of radius $n^{1/2}$ have approximately a normal distribution when $n$ is large. The coordinates $x_i$ of points uniformly distributed on the $\ell_1(n)$-sphere of radius $n$ have approximately a double exponential distribution. In these and all the $\ell_p(n),1 \le p \le \infty,$ convergence of the distribution of coordinates as the dimension $n$ increases is at the rate $\sqrt{n}$ and is described precisely in terms of weak convergence of a normalized empirical process to a limiting Gaussian process, the sum of a Brownian bridge and a simple normal process.