Which force gives photons their name as force carriers?

Photons are the gauge bosons of electromagnetism, meaning they mediate interactions between charged particles. Because photons have no rest mass, the electromagnetic force can act over very long distances. This same force explains electric current, light, magnets, and the attraction between electrons and nuclei in atoms. Quantum electrodynamics is the theory that describes electromagnetic interactions with extraordinary precision. It is one of the most successful theories in all of physics.