Variational principles and operator equations for electromagnetic waves in inhomogeneous media

A variational characterization of the polarizations generated by electromagnetic waves in an inhomogeneous medium is developed, starting from more conventional variational principles which imply, in the static limit, the classical energy principles. Associated operator equations are generated and the Green's function kernels that appear in them are given explicitly for an infinite body. The formulation proceeds along a route directly parallel to one previously established by the author for elastodynamics.