Electromagnetic interaction

The fundamental interaction between electrically charged particles, mediated by photons. It governs electric and magnetic forces and binds atoms and molecules.

Electric charge: A property of matter that determines how it couples to the electromagnetic field. Charge is the source of the interaction and sets its strength and sign.
Fundamental interaction: A basic physical interaction not explained as a combination of other known interactions. Electromagnetism is one of the four interactions in this classification.
Atomic structure: The arrangement of a nucleus and electrons that determines an atom's properties. Electromagnetic attraction binds electrons to nuclei and sets atomic energy levels.
Gravitational interaction: The attraction between energy and matter described by general relativity and, in some regimes, Newtonian gravity. Gravity is universal and attractive, whereas electromagnetic forces depend on charge and can repel.
Electromagnetic field: A physical field whose electric and magnetic components carry energy and momentum and act on charges. In classical physics, the field transmits electromagnetic influence through space.
Electric field: A vector field that gives the electric force per unit positive test charge. It describes the force component produced by electric charges.
Chemical bond: An attractive interaction that holds atoms together in molecules and solids. Most chemical bonds arise from electromagnetic interactions among electrons and nuclei.
Strong interaction: The interaction that binds quarks and holds protons and neutrons together through gluons. It dominates at nuclear distances but acts on color charge rather than electric charge.
Photon: The quantum of the electromagnetic field, with zero rest mass and spin one. In quantum electrodynamics, photon exchange describes electromagnetic interactions.
Magnetic field: A field associated with moving charges and changing electric fields that exerts forces on moving charges and magnetic dipoles. It is the magnetic component of the same interaction, not a separate fundamental force.

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