[Math] Conditional expectation of minimum of exponential random variables

conditional probabilityconditional-expectationexponential distributionprobabilityprobability theory

Let $X_1$ and $X_2$ be independent exponentially distributed random variables with parameter $\theta > 0$. I want to compute $\mathbb E[X_1 \wedge X_2 | X_1]$, where $X_1 \wedge X_2 := \min(X_1, X_2)$.

I'm really not sure how to do this. I don't want to use any joint distribution formulas (that's a different exercise in this text). Basically all I know about conditional expectations is that $\mathbb E\left[\mathbb E[X | Y] \mathbb 1_A \right] = \mathbb E[X \mathbb 1_A]$, for any $A \in \sigma(Y)$. I thought about using this property to calculate $\mathbb E\left[(X_1 \wedge X_2) \mathbb 1_{\{X_1 \leq X_2\}}| X_1\right]$ and $\mathbb E\left[(X_1 \wedge X_2) \mathbb 1_{\{X_1 > X_2\}}| X_1\right]$ separately, but it's not clear to me that either of these sets are necessarily in $\sigma(X_1)$. Any hints?

Edit: I want to avoid using conditional probability over expectations while conditioning over zero-probability events. That's a different section of the book I'm reading out of (Achim Klenke's "Probability Theory: A Comprehensive Course").

Edit 2: I eventually found my own solution, which I've posted as an answer below.

Best Answer

$$ E[X_1\wedge X_2|X_1=s]=\int_0^\infty (t\wedge s)\hspace{-.5cm}\underbrace{\theta e^{-\theta t}}_{\text{conditional pdf}\\\text{of $X_2$ given $X_1=s$}}\hspace{-.5cm}\,dt=\int_0^st\theta e^{-t\theta}\,dt+\int_s^\infty s\theta e^{-t\theta}\,dt $$

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