Homogenization of negative-index composite metamaterials: a two-step approach

We present a two-step homogenization method for composite metamaterials. First, each layer of wires or resonators is homogenized as a slab with negative permittivity or permeability, respectively. Second, the single negative stack which results is homogenized to form the effective medium. Comparing the predictions of the first and second step can serve as a gauge of the homogeneity of the composite. We thus take a gradual approach to homogenization, asking not whether, but to what extent a composite metamaterial approaches the sought after effective medium. Our two-step approach can also capture phenomena which otherwise may be wrongly attributed to effective medium behavior. We illustrate by qualitatively reproducing and reinterpreting a set of experimental data from the literature.