Efficient homogenization procedure for the calculation of optical properties of 3D nanostructured composites

We present a very efficient recursive method to calculate the effective optical response of metamaterials made up of arbitrarily shaped inclusions arranged in periodic 3D arrays. We apply it to dielectric particles embedded in a metal matrix with a lattice constant much smaller than the wavelength of the incident field, so that we may neglect retardation and factor the geometrical properties from the properties of the materials. If the conducting phase is continuous the low frequency behavior is metallic, and if the conducting paths are thin, the high frequency behavior is dielectric. Thus, extraordinary-transparency bands may develop at intermediate frequencies, whose properties may be tuned by geometrical manipulation.