---
id: particle-physics
title: Particle Physics and the Standard Model
schema_type: Article
category: science
language: en
confidence: medium
last_verified: '2026-05-28'
created_date: '2026-05-24'
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conflict_of_interest: none_declared
is_live_document: false
data_period: static
atomic_facts:
  - id: fact-particle-physics-1
    statement: >-
      CERN describes the Standard Model as the best current description of subatomic particles and
      three of the fundamental forces.
    source_title: 'CERN: The Standard Model'
    source_url: https://home.cern/science/physics/standard-model/
    confidence: medium
  - id: fact-particle-physics-2
    statement: >-
      The ATLAS Collaboration reported observation of a new particle in the Higgs-boson search in
      Physics Letters B in 2012.
    source_title: 'ATLAS: Observation of a New Particle'
    source_url: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physletb.2012.08.020
    source_doi: 10.1016/j.physletb.2012.08.020
    confidence: medium
  - id: fact-particle-physics-3
    statement: >-
      The Particle Data Group publishes the Review of Particle Physics as a reference for particle
      properties and related data.
    source_title: Review of Particle Physics
    source_url: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.110.030001
    source_doi: 10.1103/PhysRevD.110.030001
    confidence: medium
completeness: 0.84
known_gaps:
  - This compact article intentionally covers a small, source-mapped slice of a broader topic.
disputed_statements: []
primary_sources:
  - title: 'CERN: The Standard Model'
    type: official_documentation
    year: 2026
    url: https://home.cern/science/physics/standard-model/
    institution: CERN
  - title: 'ATLAS: Observation of a New Particle'
    type: academic_paper
    year: 2012
    url: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physletb.2012.08.020
    institution: Physics Letters B
    doi: 10.1016/j.physletb.2012.08.020
    authors:
      - ATLAS Collaboration
  - title: Review of Particle Physics
    type: academic_paper
    year: 2024
    url: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.110.030001
    institution: Physical Review D
    doi: 10.1103/PhysRevD.110.030001
    authors:
      - Particle Data Group
secondary_sources: []
updated: '2026-05-28'
---

## TL;DR

Particle physics studies elementary particles and the interactions described by the Standard Model.

## Core Explanation

The Standard Model groups matter particles and force carriers into a compact framework that explains electromagnetic, weak, and strong interactions. It remains incomplete because gravity and several cosmological observations sit outside that framework.

## Further Reading

- [CERN: The Standard Model](https://home.cern/science/physics/standard-model/)
- [ATLAS: Observation of a New Particle](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physletb.2012.08.020)
- [Review of Particle Physics](https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.110.030001)