| Electrically charged particles such as electrons wear what could be described as a "cloak of light". This is what is behind electromagnetic force: the attraction between positive and negative charges, and repulsion between like charges. It is thought that electromagnetic force is generated when photons are thrown backwards and forwards. The cloak of light surrounding particles is thought to consist of photons. If an electron wearing such a cloak of light and traveling at a high speed is suddenly stopped in its path, the lightweight cloak is thrown forwards, and can be observed as an electromagnetic wave such as light or X-rays, depending on its speed and energy at the time it is thrown forward. If the direction that a high-speed electron is traveling in is suddenly bent, the lightweight cloak will be unable to follow the distortion, but will instead continue traveling in a straight line. This, too, results in the creation of an electromagnetic wave. Such waves are called synchrotron radiation.
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