A question about electromagnetism

[The 321 Anomaly]

Let me preface this by saying that I've just recently begun studying physics. Okay, so I'm wondering about electromagnetism. Since the photon is both a quantum of light and the carrier of the electromagnetic force, then how is it that the electromagnetic force is able to function in an environment where there is no light? If there was an absence of the electromagnetic force, then molecules and atoms would no longer hold together, which suggests that once the light was switched off in a room, matter could not exist in that room. The only explanation I can come up with is that there is another type of photon that is not emitted from a light source.

Edited March 19, 2012 by The 321 Anomaly

[DrRocket]

Let me preface this by saying that I've just recently begun studying physics. Okay, so I'm wondering about electromagnetism. Since the photon is both a quantum of light and the carrier of the electromagnetic force, then how is it that the electromagnetic force is able to function in an environment where there is no light? If there was an absence of the electromagnetic force, then molecules and atoms would no longer hold together, which suggests that once the light was switched off in a room, matter could not exist in that room. The only explanation I can come up with is that there is another type of photon that is not emitted from a light source.

 

The electromagnetic force does not "function in an environment where there is no light".

 

But you must realize that the term "light" in the context of physics includes ALL frequencies, not just visible light. Your eyes are sensitive to only a very small part of the entire electromagnetic spectrum. There are electromagnetic waves just about everywhere, else your cell phone would not work and it certainly does work in a "dark" room.

 

Moreover, at the quantum level the carrier of the electromagnetic force is actually a virtual photon rather than a real photon. The electrostatic force, for instance, is quite real even in the absence of propagating electromagnetic waves (i.e. real photons).