Why are magnetic and electric fields not considered the same?

AI Thread Summary
Magnetic fields and electric fields are considered different phenomena despite their unification in the framework of relativity and quantum field theory (QFT). The distinction persists because the connection between the two is often irrelevant in many contexts, such as low-energy physics. While photons mediate interactions like the repulsion between magnets and electrons, a static magnetic field does not consist of photons. The gauge boson for a static magnetic field remains a point of inquiry, emphasizing the complexity of these interactions. Understanding these differences is crucial for grasping the nuances of electromagnetic theory.
jaydnul
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Why are magnetic fields and electric fields still considered different phenomena? Doesn't relativity and QFT explain that they are the same thing. A photon is a photon, isn't it? I mean, what is happening when two magnets repel? They exchange photons. What happens when two electrons repel? They exchange photons.

(A genuine question, I'm not trying to administer any insight)
 
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Jd0g33 said:
Why are magnetic fields and electric fields still considered different phenomena?
Often the link between electric and magnetic fields is not relevant.

In the same way, it is possible to unify the electromagnetic and the weak interaction - but we still consider beta-decays and light as two different phenomena, because high-energy physics is the only field where the connection between the two is relevant.
 
Jd0g33 said:
Why are magnetic fields and electric fields still considered different phenomena? Doesn't relativity and QFT explain that they are the same thing. A photon is a photon, isn't it? I mean, what is happening when two magnets repel? They exchange photons. What happens when two electrons repel? They exchange photons.

(A genuine question, I'm not trying to administer any insight)

a static magnetic field isn't comprised of photons


Dave
 
davenn said:
a static magnetic field isn't comprised of photons


Dave

What is the gauge boson for a static magnetic field?
 
FYI, the posts above me were split from another thread and moved into this one.
 
Thread 'Motional EMF in Faraday disc, co-rotating magnet axial mean flux'

Thread 'Motional EMF in Faraday disc, co-rotating magnet axial mean flux'

So here is the motional EMF formula. Now I understand the standard Faraday paradox that an axis symmetric field source (like a speaker motor ring magnet) has a magnetic field that is frame invariant under rotation around axis of symmetry. The field is static whether you rotate the magnet or not. So far so good. What puzzles me is this , there is a term average magnetic flux or "azimuthal mean" , this term describes the average magnetic field through the area swept by the rotating Faraday...
View full post »

Thread 'Why measure the speed of light in one direction?'

It may be shown from the equations of electromagnetism, by James Clerk Maxwell in the 1860’s, that the speed of light in the vacuum of free space is related to electric permittivity (ϵ) and magnetic permeability (μ) by the equation: c=1/√( μ ϵ ) . This value is a constant for the vacuum of free space and is independent of the motion of the observer. It was this fact, in part, that led Albert Einstein to Special Relativity.
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