How do photons carry electromagnetic force?

Question

Josiah Adams · Accepted Answer

This is a question I always found difficilt and confusing...so I hope not to confuse you!

You may think of a photon as a "wavicle", i.e., a representative of electromagnetic radiation (basically, light) that can be seen as a wave or a particle.
Now think of this EM radiation as a wave represented as a propagating perturbation of the electric and magnetic field:

Now think of placing a charged particle on the path of EM radiation; the particle will "feel" the chaning fields and experience an electromagnetic force (I used to call it Lorentz Force) that will possibly change its position in space.
So, basically, your photon of light, considered in wave form, will "carry" EM force through space.

Hope it helps!

Josiah Adams · Answer

undefined Photons carry electromagnetic force by acting as the carriers of the electromagnetic field. As particles move through space, they interact with this field by emitting and absorbing photons, which transfer the electromagnetic force between charged particles. This exchange of photons mediates the electromagnetic interaction between charged particles, such as electrons and protons, allowing them to attract or repel each other based on their charges.