Effective medium theories for the optical properties of three-component composite materials.

Based on the research of Niklasson et al. [Appl. Opt. 20, 26-30 (1981)], two effective medium theories, namely, the Maxwell-Garnett and the Bruggeman, for two-component systems are directly extended to three-component systems, and so theories for many-component systems can be obtained further. Note that one of these theories was obtained by Wood and Ashcroft [Philos. Mag. 35, 269-280 (1977)] and Stroud and Pan [Phys. Rev. B 17, 1602-1610 (1978)] by different or similar methods. The improved theories are employed in the calculation of the spectral reflectance of three samples of electrolytic colored anodic aluminum oxide film (Au-Cu-Al(2) O(3) and Ag-Cu-Al(2) O(3)), and the results are compared with the experimental results.