What is the significance of the Poynting vector for EM waves?

[Ahmad Kishki]

i need an interpretation for the poynting vector, and its derivation for EM waves (sinusoidal)

 

[ShayanJ]

Consider the two "curly" Maxwell's equations!(

,

)
Dot the first one with \mathbf H and the second one with \mathbf E and then subtract the second from the first. Using some vector calculus identities, You'll get the following:
<br /> \frac{\partial}{\partial t} \frac 1 2 (\mathbf E \cdot \mathbf D+\mathbf B \cdot \mathbf H) + \mathbf \nabla \cdot (\mathbf E \times \mathbf H)=-\mathbf E \cdot \mathbf J_f<br />
which is of the form \frac{\partial u}{\partial t}+\mathbf \nabla \cdot \mathbf K=G, i.e. is a continuity equation.
Where u is the density of "something", \mathbf K is the current density of that "something"(amount of "something" passing from a unit cross section in the unit of time) and G is the generation of "something" per volume.
For the present case, that something is energy and so the equation is describing the (non-)conservation of electromagnetic energy(which can appear or disappear since its only one of the energy forms present!).
As you can see, the quantity \mathbf S=\mathbf E \times \mathbf H(Poynting vector) is playing the role of \mathbf K and so is the electromagnetic energy current density.

 

[Andy Resnick]

Alternatively, the Poynting vector is associated with the momentum of the EM field.