Scalarisation of maxwell´s equations in general inhomogeneous bianisotropic media

Electromagnetic field representations in spatially inhomogeneous bianisotropic media are investigated. It is shown that the solution of Maxwell´s equations can be reduced to the solution of a set of partial differential equations for four scalar potentials from which the fields can be derived. To obtain an analogous representation as in isotropic media ¿¿ where two scalar Hertz potentials are sufficient to determine the electromagnetic field ¿¿ one has to impose restrictions on the constitutive electromagnetic parameters of these inhomogeneous and bianisotropic media. The applicability of the scalar Hertz-potential method is limited to bigyrotropic media which are inhomogeneous only in the direction of the bigyrotropic media´s distinguished axis. Finally, inhomogeneous gyrotropic media and moving isotropic media serve as examples for the outlined method.