The Particle Data Group (or PDG) is an international collaboration of
particle physicists
Particle physics or high energy physics is the study of fundamental particles and forces that constitute matter and radiation. The fundamental particles in the universe are classified in the Standard Model as fermions (matter particles) a ...
that compiles and reanalyzes published results related to the properties of
particles and
fundamental interactions. It also publishes reviews of theoretical results that are phenomenologically relevant, including those in related fields such as
cosmology
Cosmology () is a branch of physics and metaphysics dealing with the nature of the universe. The term ''cosmology'' was first used in English in 1656 in Thomas Blount's ''Glossographia'', and in 1731 taken up in Latin by German philosopher ...
. The PDG currently publishes the ''Review of Particle Physics'' and its pocket version, the ''Particle Physics Booklet'', which are printed biennially as books, and updated annually via the
World Wide Web.
In previous years, the PDG has published the ''Pocket Diary for Physicists'', a calendar with the dates of key international conferences and contact information of major
high energy physics institutions, which is now discontinued. PDG also further maintains the standard numbering scheme for particles in
event generator Event generators are software libraries that generate simulated high-energy particle physics events.
They randomly generate events as those produced in particle accelerators, collider experiments or the early universe.
Events come in different ty ...
s, in association with the event generator authors.
''Review of Particle Physics''
The ''Review of Particle Physics'' (formerly ''Review of Particle Properties'', ''Data on Particles and Resonant States'', and ''Data on Elementary Particles and Resonant States'') is a voluminous, 1,200+ page reference work which summarizes particle properties and reviews the current status of
elementary particle physics,
general relativity
General relativity, also known as the general theory of relativity and Einstein's theory of gravity, is the geometric theory of gravitation published by Albert Einstein in 1915 and is the current description of gravitation in modern physics ...
and
big-bang
The Big Bang event is a physical theory that describes how the universe expanded from an initial state of high density and temperature. Various cosmological models of the Big Bang explain the evolution of the observable universe from the ...
cosmology. Usually singled out for
citation analysis, it is currently the most cited article in
high energy physics, being cited more than 2,000 times annually in the scientific literature ().
The Review is currently divided into 3 sections:
* Particle Physics Summary Tables—Brief tables of particles:
gauge
Gauge ( or ) may refer to:
Measurement
* Gauge (instrument), any of a variety of measuring instruments
* Gauge (firearms)
* Wire gauge, a measure of the size of a wire
** American wire gauge, a common measure of nonferrous wire diameter, es ...
and
higgs boson
The Higgs boson, sometimes called the Higgs particle, is an elementary particle in the Standard Model of particle physics produced by the quantum excitation of the Higgs field,
one of the fields in particle physics theory. In the Stan ...
s,
leptons,
quark
A quark () is a type of elementary particle and a fundamental constituent of matter. Quarks combine to form composite particles called hadrons, the most stable of which are protons and neutrons, the components of atomic nuclei. All commonly ...
s,
mesons,
baryon
In particle physics, a baryon is a type of composite subatomic particle which contains an odd number of valence quarks (at least 3). Baryons belong to the hadron family of particles; hadrons are composed of quarks. Baryons are also classifie ...
s, constraints for the search for hypothetical particles and violation of physical laws.
* Reviews, Tables and Plots—Review of fundamental concepts from mathematics and statistics, table of
Clebsch-Gordan coefficients,
periodic table of elements
The periodic table, also known as the periodic table of the (chemical) elements, is a rows and columns arrangement of the chemical elements. It is widely used in chemistry, physics, and other sciences, and is generally seen as an icon of ...
, table of
electron
The electron ( or ) is a subatomic particle with a negative one elementary electric charge. Electrons belong to the first generation of the lepton particle family,
and are generally thought to be elementary particles because they have n ...
ic configuration of the elements, brief table of material properties, review of current status in the fields of
Standard Model
The Standard Model of particle physics is the theory describing three of the four known fundamental forces ( electromagnetic, weak and strong interactions - excluding gravity) in the universe and classifying all known elementary particles. It ...
,
Cosmology
Cosmology () is a branch of physics and metaphysics dealing with the nature of the universe. The term ''cosmology'' was first used in English in 1656 in Thomas Blount's ''Glossographia'', and in 1731 taken up in Latin by German philosopher ...
, and
experiment
An experiment is a procedure carried out to support or refute a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of something previously untried. Experiments provide insight into cause-and-effect by demonstrating what outcome occurs whe ...
al method of particle physics, and with tables of fundamental physical and astronomical constants (many from
CODATA
The Committee on Data of the International Science Council (CODATA) was established in 1966 as the Committee on Data for Science and Technology, originally part of the International Council of Scientific Unions, now part of the International ...
and the
Astronomical Almanac).
* Particle Listings—Comprehensive version of the ''Particle Physics Summary Tables'', with all significant measurements fully referenced.
A condensed version of the ''Review'', with the ''Summary Tables'', a significantly shortened ''Reviews, Tables and Plots'', and without the ''Particle Listings'', is available as a 300-page, pocket-sized ''Particle Physics Booklet''.
The history of ''Review of Particle Physics'' can be traced back to the 1957 article ''Hyperons and Heavy Mesons (Systematics and Decay)'' by
Murray Gell-Mann and
Arthur H. Rosenfeld, and the unpublished update tables for its data with the title ''Data for Elementary Particle Physics'' (
University of California Radiation Laboratory ''Technical Report UCRL-8030'') that were circulated before the actual publication of the original article. In 1963,
Matts Roos independently published a compilation ''Data on Elementary Particles and Resonant States''.
[
] On his suggestion, the two publications were merged a year later into the 1964 ''Data on Elementary Particles and Resonant States''.
The publication underwent three renamings thereafter: 1965 into ''Data on Particles and Resonant States'', 1970 into ''Review of Particle Properties'', and 1996 into the present form ''Review of Particle Physics''. Starting with 1972, the ''Review'' no longer appear exclusively in ''
Reviews of Modern Physics'', but also in ''
Physics Letters B'', ''
European Physical Journal C'', ''
Journal of Physics G'', ''
Physical Review D'', and ''
Chinese Physics C
''Chinese Physics C'' (CPC) is a monthly peer-reviewed scientific journal published by the Chinese Physical Society along with the Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. CPC is hosted online by IOP Publishing. It reports on ...
'' (depending on the year).
Past editions of ''Review of Particle Physics''
See also
*
CODATA
The Committee on Data of the International Science Council (CODATA) was established in 1966 as the Committee on Data for Science and Technology, originally part of the International Council of Scientific Unions, now part of the International ...
References
External links
Particle Data Group official sitean
electronic edition of ''Review of Particle Physics'' 2018Photo of the 2004 ''Review of Particle Physics''First edition of the wallet card from the Particle Data Group, 1958Particle Physics Booklet, current versionParticle Physics Booklet, July 2010Particle Physics Booklet, 2014Particle Physics Booklet, 2018
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Particle physics
Physical constants