On the inverse homogenization problem of linear composite materials

The standard problem of homogenization consists of a derivation or estimation of the electromagnetic constitutive properties of a composite material In that approach, the constitutive properties of the constituent materials las specified bl their respective permittivity, permeability, and magnetoelectric dyadics), their mixing ratios, and certain geometrical properties pertaining to the constituents are known. Here, the inverse problem is pursued: What information about the electromagnetic constitutive parameters of one of the constituent materials in a two-component mixture can be extracted from a knowledge of the constitutive properties of the homogenized composite medium and those of the other component material? This approach is called the inverse homogenization problem, and it is studied within the framework of linear homogenization through the Maxwell Garnett and the Bruggeman formalisms. (C) 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.