particle

What it is and what it does

Particle wraps the Particle Data Group's official particle tables and provides object-oriented access to particle properties, identification codes (PDGIDs), and metadata. It implements the standard PDG ID numbering scheme through the PDGID class, which supports queries on particle properties like flavor content, spin, and charge. The Particle class offers search and lookup utilities to find particles by PDG ID, name, EvtGen identifier, or by filtering on properties like mass, width, and quark content.

The package is designed for high-energy physics workflows where you need to look up particle properties, classify particles by their quantum numbers, or work with Monte Carlo generator identification schemes. It includes command-line tools for quick lookups and provides both object-oriented and functional interfaces to PDGID queries, making it suitable for interactive exploration or embedded in analysis scripts.

Use it for:

• Look up particle properties by PDG ID or name in high-energy physics simulations and analysis.
• Filter particles by quantum numbers (flavor, spin, charge) to find specific particle types in Monte Carlo events.
• Convert between different particle identification schemes used by MC generators and the standard PDG numbering.
• Build particle classification functions by composing PDGID property queries for custom physics selections.
• Query nucleus information and construct particle objects for nuclear physics calculations.

Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying

Provides a pythonic interface to Particle Data Group particle identification codes and properties, with lookup and search utilities for particle physics data.

Yes. The package is actively maintained, has no known vulnerabilities, low install friction, and a permissive license. It fills a clear need for standardized particle data access in HEP workflows. Install it if you work with particle physics data or Monte Carlo event analysis.

Install

particle on PyPI

pip install particle

uv add particle

poetry add particle

Installing particle

Before you install

Low install friction with only two runtime dependencies (attrs and hepunits). Active maintenance with a recent release 50 days ago and regular commits; last commit on 2026-08-11.

License in practice

BSD-3-Clause permissive license allows commercial and private use with minimal restrictions.

Quickstart

pip install particle

from particle import Particle, PDGID

pid = PDGID(211)
print(pid.is_meson)  # True

p = Particle.from_pdgid(211)
print(p)  # <Particle: name="pi+", pdgid=211, mass=139.57039 ± 0.00018 MeV>

Requires Python 3.10 or later.

Verify before relying

• Whether the package's particle data tables are automatically updated when PDG releases new data, or if manual updates are required.
• Performance characteristics when searching across large numbers of particles or with complex filter predicates.

Package facts

Evidence: particle-1.0.0-py3-none-any.whl

Keywords: HEP, MC identification codes, PDG, PDGID, particle, particle data table, particle properties

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