Fundamental Falsification and Revision of Poynting Vector Electromagnetic Energy Transmission Theory

Since the establishment of the Poynting vector theory in 1884, mainstream conclusions of classical electromagnetism over more than a century have held that the electromagnetic energy of circuits is not transmitted through the interior of wires but propagates along electromagnetic fields in the vacuum space outside conductors. This conclusion only achieves mathematical self-consistency relying on Maxwell’s equations. Essentially, it is a numerical fitting at the mathematical level that does not correspond to objective physical reality. It has long lacked dual verification of underlying physical mechanisms and engineering facts, leading to fundamental cognitive deviations. Based on the Photon Primitive Theory, this paper reconstructs the definitional boundaries of matter, energy and fields. Physical particles such as electrons and protons are self-locked and aggregated by photon energy packets, and can only serve as intermediate energy carriers without the capacity to independently transmit energy. The sole carrier for all energy interactions in the universe is the photon energy packet. Electric and magnetic fields are merely spatial representations of electromagnetic interaction forces; fields themselves do not belong to energy and possess no physical attributes to independently store or propagate energy. Classical theories have long confused two independent physical categories: the effect of acting force and the ontology of energy. The long-term stable operation of high-voltage armored shielded cables directly falsifies the external energy transmission model derived from the Poynting vector. Meanwhile, the underlying operating rules of electromechanical energy conversion in electric motors serve as collateral evidence: magnetic fields can only transmit interaction forces across space, and there exists no physical process where electromagnetic fields carry and transmit energy independently without particles. All energy conversion behaviors occur inside conductive media. The Poynting vector is merely a mathematical calculation tool for electromagnetic field flux. Although calculated values match observed results under partial working conditions, mathematical fitting does not equal objective physical reality. It only describes the distribution of accompanying field forces formed by a small number of overflow particles when photon energy packets are transmitted inside conductors, rather than the main transmission path of electric energy. Relying on the Photon Primitive Theory, this paper restores the complete underlying mechanism of energy transmission inside wires and revises the century-old fundamental paradigm errors in classical electromagnetism.