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Resolvent at low energy III: the spectral measure

Let $M^\circ$ be a complete noncompact manifold and $g$ an asymptotically conic Riemaniann metric on $M^\circ$, in the sense that $M^\circ$ compactifies to a manifold with boundary $M$ in such a way that $g$ becomes a scattering metric on $M$. Let $Δ$ be the positive Laplacian associated to $g$, and $P = Δ+ V$, where $V$ is a potential function obeying certain conditions. We analyze the asymptotics of the spectral measure $dE(λ) = (λ/πi) \big(R(λ+i0) - R(λ- i0) \big)$ of $P_+^{1/2}$, where $R(λ) = (P - λ^2)^{-1}$, as $λ\to 0$, in a manner similar to that done previously by the second author and Vasy, and by the first two authors. The main result is that the spectral measure has a simple, `conormal-Legendrian' singularity structure on a space which is obtained from $M^2 \times [0, λ_0)$ by blowing up a certain number of boundary faces. We use this to deduce results about the asymptotics of the wave solution operators $\cos(t \sqrt{P_+})$ and $\sin(t \sqrt{P_+})/\sqrt{P_+}$, and the Schrödinger propagator $e^{itP}$, as $t \to \infty$. In particular, we prove the analogue of Price's law for odd-dimensional asymptotically conic manifolds. This result on the spectral measure has been used in a follow-up work by the authors (arXiv:1012.3780) to prove sharp restriction and spectral multiplier theorems on asymptotically conic manifolds.