  We numerically study light scattering and absorption in self-similar
aggregates of dielectric nanoparticles, as generated by simulated ballistic
deposition upon a surface starting from a single seed particle. The resulting
structure exhibits a complex tree-like shape, intended to mimic the morphologic
properties of building blocks of real nanostructured thin films produced by
means of fine controlled physical deposition processes employed in
nanotechnology. The relationship of scattering and absorption cross sections to
morphology is investigated within a computational scheme which thoroughly takes
into account both multiple scattering and near-field effects. Numerical results
are compared with a pre-existing single scattering limited analytical treatment
of light scattering in fractal aggregates of small dielectric particles.
