Origin of particle charges in the Standard Model

Determine the origin of particle charges in the Standard Model of particle physics by explaining the principles that fix the pattern of charge assignments across elementary particles.

Background

The paper argues that while the Standard Model is built on powerful symmetry postulates that accurately describe interactions, it does not provide deeper explanations for several of its structural features.

Specifically, the authors identify the origin of particle charges as an unresolved issue, noting that the Standard Model’s charge assignments are not explained from first principles within the model’s current framework.

References

One should note, however, that the Standard Model provides only a phenomenological description of elementary particles—its symmetries and basis states were largely selected based on the enormous experimental work that engaged the entire global community over the course of over a century. Many aspects of this model (multiplicity of families of elementary particles, origin of particle charges, etc.) remain unexplained.

— Derivation of the Schrodinger equation from fundamental principles  (2603.27041 - Zhang et al., 27 Mar 2026) in Section 3, Conclusions and Prospects