Maxwell's Electrodynamics Anchored in Light Emission Events - A Critique of the One-Way Light Speed Convention

Maxwell’s equations describe electrodynamics as originating from source emission events in spacetime. Einstein’s 1905 special relativity reanchored these equations in inertial observer equivalence via an unmeasurable convention: the isotropy of the one-way speed of light. This convention renders simultaneity frame-dependent, requiring Lorentz transformations to preserve form invariance.

We argue that the convention is load-bearing for relativity of simultaneity (RoS) and that a direct measurement of one-way light speed would reveal motion relative to fixed emission events, making RoS unnecessary. A space-based two-rod alignment experiment is proposed, using high-precision clocks on counter-moving spacecraft. Predicted clock discrepancies (order picoseconds at orbital velocities) would distinguish event-anchored kinematics from the conventional frame-equivalence picture, providing a first empirical distinction between the two anchorings.
Keywords: special relativity, one-way light speed, synchrony convention, simultaneity, Maxwell equations, experimental test