Effective electronic response of a system of metallic cylinders

TL;DR

This paper investigates the electronic response of a composite of aligned metallic cylinders using photonic band structure calculations, analyzing dielectric properties, surface modes, and the validity of effective medium approximations.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of the effective dielectric response and surface modes in metallic cylinder composites, extending understanding of their optical and electronic behaviors.

Findings

Effective dielectric response varies with filling fraction.

Surface mode strengths and positions are characterized.

Maxwell-Garnett approximation validity is discussed.

Abstract

The electronic response of a composite consisting of aligned metallic cylinders in vacuum is investigated, on the basis of photonic band structure calculations. The effective long-wavelength dielectric response function is computed, as a function of the filling fraction. A spectral representation of the effective response is considered, and the surface mode strengths and positions are analyzed. The range of validity of a Maxwell-Garnett-like approach is discussed, and the impact of our results on absorption spectra and electron energy-loss phenomena is addressed.