Particle

Compositi

Electron e elementary

alpha
particle

Theorized

on

(lepton)

J. J.
G. Johnstone Stoney (1874) Thomson (189
7)

composite
(atomic

Discovered

Ernest
never

nucleus)

Rutherford (18
99)

Albert
Photon

elementary
(quantum)

Max Planck (1900)

Comments

Minimum unit of
electrical charge, for
which Stoney suggested
the name in 1891.[9]
Proven by Rutherford
and Thomas Royds in
1907 to be helium
nuclei.
Necessary to solve the

Einstein (1905) problem of black body

or Ernest Rutherford

radiation inthermodyna

(1899) as rays

mics.

Ernest
Proton p

composite
(baryon)

Long ago

Rutherford
(1919, named

The nucleus of 1H.

1920)

Neutron n

composite
(baryon)

James
Ernest Rutherford (c.1918)

Chadwick (193 The second nucleon.

2)
Carl D.

Antiparticl

Paul Dirac (1928)

es

Anderson (e+,
1932)
Csar
Lattes, Giusep

Pions

composite
(mesons)

Hideki Yukawa (1935)

pe
Occhialini(194
7) and Cecil
Powell

Muon

elementary never

Carl D.

Now explained
with CPT symmetry.

Explains the nuclear

force between nucleons.
The first meson (by
modern definition) to be
discovered.

The first named meson;

(lepton)

Kaons K

Lambda

composite
(mesons)

composite

baryons (baryons)

Anderson

today considered a

(1936)

lepton.
Discovered in cosmic

never

1947

particle.
University of
never

1950)[10]

elementary Wolfgang Pauli (1930),

Cowan, Freder

(lepton)

ick Reines (

named by Enrico Fermi

e, 1956)

Quarks
(u, d, s)

elementary

charm

elementary

quarkc

(quark)

bottom

elementary

quarkb

(quark)

Weak
gauge
bosons

Solved the problem of

energy spectrum of beta
decay.

Murray Gell-Mann, George

No particular confirmation event for

Zweig (1964)

the quark model.

1970

1974

1973

1977

elementary Glashow, Weinberg, Salam(1

(quantum)

The

Melbourne (0, first hyperon discovered

Clyde
Neutrino

rays. The first strange

968)

CERN (1983)

Properties verified
through the 1990s.

Does not hadronize, but

top

elementary

quark t

(quark)

1973

1995

is necessary to
complete the Standard
Model.

Higgs

elementary

boson

(quantum)

Tetraquar composite
k

Thought to be confirmed
Peter Higgs et al. (1964)

CERN (2012)

in 2013. More evidence

found in 2014.[11]

Zc(3900),
2013, to be

A new class of hadrons.

confirmed as a
tetraquark

Interpretation of
Graviton

elementary
(quantum)

a gravitational
Albert Einstein (1916)

Not discovered wave (also hypothetical)

as a particle is
controversial.

Magnetic
monopole

elementary
(unclassifie Paul Dirac (1931)
d)

Not discovered