  The calculation of the local density of states (LDOS) in lossy materials has
long been disputed due to the divergence of the homogeneous Green function with
equal space arguments. For arbitrary shaped lossy structures, such as those of
interest in nanoplasmonics, this problem is particular challenging. A
non-divergent LDOS obtained in numerical methods like the finite-difference
time-domain (FDTD), at first sight, appears to be wrong. Here we show that FDTD
is not only an ideal choice for obtaining the regularized LDOS, but it can
address the local field problem for any lossy inhomogeneous material. We
exemplify the case of a finite-size photon emitter embedded within and outside
a lossy metal nanoparticle, and show excellent agreement with analytical
results.
