Maximum entropy distribution of order statistics with given marginals

Abstract

We consider distributions of ordered random vectors with given one-dimensional marginal distributions. We give an elementary necessary and sufficient condition for the existence of such a distribution with finite entropy. In this case, we give explicitly the density of the unique distribution which achieves the maximal entropy and compute the value of its entropy. This density is the unique one which has a product form on its support and the given one-dimensional marginals. The proof relies on the study of copulas with given one-dimensional marginal distributions for its order statistics.