I How does electric attraction work at subatomic scales?

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Electric attraction at subatomic scales involves complex interactions described by quantum electrodynamics (QED) and Feynman diagrams. While like-charged particles repel each other by exchanging photons, attraction occurs through different mechanisms that can be mathematically represented. Feynman diagrams serve as shorthand for these calculations rather than literal depictions of particle interactions. For a deeper understanding of both attractive and repulsive forces in QED, Zee's "QFT in a Nutshell" offers valuable insights. The discussion emphasizes the challenges of verbally explaining these intricate phenomena.
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What is going on in electric attraction Feynman diagrams?
In Feynman diagrams, I believe two like-charged particles will "blast" one another with a photon, thus pushing each other away because of the law of conservation of momentum. How would this work for electric attraction?
 
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A Feynman diagram is not a picture of what gets "blasted". It is shorthand for a term in a mathematical calculation.
 
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It's a bit "risky" to ask for verbal explanations about subatomic phenomena and/or their mathematical description. As Vanadium 50 said, Feynman diagrams fall into that category.

However, if you only worry about how to describe both attractive and repulsive events in QED, you can find a nice passage in Zee's "QFT in a Nutshell, 2nd ed.", section I.5; it's on the math side, but the text between the equations is readable.
 
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Thread 'Some confusion with the Binding Energy graph of atoms'

Thread 'Some confusion with the Binding Energy graph of atoms'

My question is about the following graph: I keep on reading that fusing atoms up until Fe-56 doesn’t cost energy and only releases binding energy. However, I understood that fusing atoms also require energy to overcome the positive charges of the protons. Where does that energy go after fusion? Does it go into the mass of the newly fused atom, escape as heat or is the released binding energy shown in the graph actually the net energy after subtracting the required fusion energy? I...
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