Homogenization of the eigenvalues of the Neumann-Poincaré operator (Q2322731)

The article under consideration is concerned with the following problem \[ -\operatorname{div} A_\epsilon \operatorname{grad} u_\epsilon = f \text{ on } \Omega\subseteq \mathbb{R}^d, \] where \(A_\epsilon(x) =1\) if \(x\in \Omega\setminus \omega_\epsilon\) and \(A_\epsilon(x)=a\in \mathbb{C}\setminus\{0\}\) if \(x\in \omega_\epsilon\), where \(\omega_\epsilon\) are periodically distributed inclusions in \(\Omega\) of small size. The aim of the article is to understand the asymptotic behaviour as \(\epsilon\to 0\) of the set of numbers \(a\) such that the above equation admits a non-trivial solution when \(f=0\). These numbers are referred to as the plasmonic eigenvalues. In order to set the stage, the authors recall the connection of solving the above problem with the so-called Neumann-Poincaré operator obtained by boundary integral methods mapping within \(L^2(\partial\omega_\epsilon)\). The authors then perform an analysis as \(\epsilon\to 0\) of the eigenvalues of a related operator given by the solution of the so-called Poincaré variational problem. The limit spectrum consists then of the values \(0\) and \(1\) as well as of Bloch spectrum, which is neither accumulating at \(0\) nor at \(1\), when \(\epsilon\to 0\).