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So the baseline here is quantum field theory, so take any “LI5” explanation with a grain of salt that it’s simplifing massively.
But the starting place is that everything in the universe is made of fields. Electrons? Just a high intensity excitation in the electric field. Protons? 2 excitations in the up quark field, and one excitation in the down quark field. And so on. All particles are excitations in the fundamental fields of the universe.
But that is all to just say that empty space is not actually empty. It is full of low intensity fluctuations of all of those fundamental fields. And if you can disrupt those fluctuations, with two plates that are very close together, you can measure that disruption in a force pulling on the plates.
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