We compute low energy asymptotics for the resolvent of a planar obstacle, and
deduce asymptotics for the corresponding scattering matrix, scattering phase, and
exterior Dirichlet-to-Neumann operator. We use an identity of Vodev to relate the
obstacle resolvent to the free resolvent and an identity of Petkov and Zworski to
relate the scattering matrix to the resolvent. The leading singularities are given in
terms of the obstacle’s logarithmic capacity or Robin constant. We expect these
results to hold for more general compactly supported perturbations of the Laplacian
on
,
with the definition of the Robin constant suitably modified, under a generic
assumption that the spectrum is regular at zero.