>In this case, the electromagnetic field

I asked which one?

>Perturbations in that field,

How does this field differ from the fields surrounding charged particles such as electrons and protons? Is this the same field? Are electrons and protons then not also "perturbations?"

If this is an explanation from quantum field theory, how does this description of one single, continuous electromagnetic field differ from the luminiferous aether? And, again, how do we understand the fields surrounding stationary or moving charged particles?