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There is not much more to elaborate. Can string theory say why electrons and protons have exactly opposite charge? And thus why hydrogen atoms are neutral? I guess that the answer is no, because nobody has yet deduced the standard model from strings.

The standard model does not answer the question: it just uses and requires the equality of charges for consistency reasons. (The "answers" to the similar question in the forum about the standard model show this clearly.) But standard model does not really explain the equality: why do two completely different particles have the same electric charge?

This said, does any other theory explain why the charges are equal?

Alternatively: why is the electromagnetic coupling of protons the same as the electromagnetic coupling of electrons?

Gina Martelli
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  • If you read the answers to that question, it just says that in the standard model, there is no other way, but no real reason is given. But the present question is deeper: it asks whether string theory shows this. – Gina Martelli Nov 30 '19 at 20:44
  • Any answer that answers this question would also answer the other question, i.e. it is a proper subset of the duplicate. That there currently is no answer based in string theory in particular to the other question is of no matter - being a duplicate is a property of questions, not of existing answers. – ACuriousMind Nov 30 '19 at 20:49
  • The standard model does not answer the question. The question here is: does string theory answer it? – Gina Martelli Nov 30 '19 at 20:52

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