  The surface modes of a composite consisting of aligned metallic wires with
square cross sections are 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. The dependence of the optical
absorption on the shape of the wires and the polarization of light is
discussed, and the effect of sharp corners analyzed. The effect of the
interaction between the wires on the localization of surface plasmons is also
addressed.
