The Electromagnetic Force

The electrodynamic force is the force that deals with electricity, magnetism, and light. It acts on electrically charged particles (such as the electron) and uses photons as exchange particles. It is the force that keeps atoms and molecules together.

 

Its respective gauge theory is Quantum Electrodynamics (QED). QED combines Maxwell’s equations, Schrodinger’s equation, and special relativity. It led to the creation of QFT. 

 

Just like in other gauge fields, QED uses discrete quantities rather than the continuous fields we are used to.

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Image from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Field_%28physics%29

Second Image from: https://protonsforbreakfast.wordpress.com/2014/04/13/feynman-diagrams-are-maths-not-physics/

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The first image is of these continuous fields that you would have seen in elementary and middle school, and the second is something called a Feynman diagram, which we will cover soon. Just know that the Feynman diagram represents an electron interaction not through repulsion but by exchanging a photon.