How to Draw a Standard Model Particle Chart in LaTeX

A “periodic table” of Standard Model particles is a visual classification chart, not a periodic table in the chemical sense. In LaTeX, TikZ makes it straightforward to arrange particle symbols in colored boxes and label the rows and columns.

The example below groups quarks and leptons by generation, then puts the gauge bosons and Higgs boson in a separate row. It is a compact overview: quark and lepton antiparticles are not shown.

What belongs in the chart?

The Standard Model’s matter particles are fermions: six quark flavors and six leptons. They are organized into three generations. Each generation contains two quarks, one charged lepton, and one neutrino:

Generation	Quarks	Leptons
First	up, down	electron, electron neutrino
Second	charm, strange	muon, muon neutrino
Third	top, bottom	tau, tau neutrino

The force-carrying particles are bosons: the photon, the $W^+$ and $W^-$, the $Z^0$, and eight gluon states. The Higgs boson is also a boson, but it is not a force carrier. In a compact diagram, gluons can be represented by a single $g$ card and the two charged weak bosons by one $W^\pm$ card. The card labels are categories, not a count of every distinct state.

Complete minimal TikZ example

This example uses the article class and the geometry, tikz, and xcolor packages. Save it as a .tex file and compile with pdfLaTeX or another standard LaTeX engine.

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage[margin=1in]{geometry}
\usepackage{xcolor}
\usepackage{tikz}

\begin{document}

\begin{figure}[ht]
\centering
\begin{tikzpicture}[
  particle/.style={
    draw,
    rounded corners,
    minimum width=1.45cm,
    text width=1.4cm,
    minimum height=0.95cm,
    align=center,
    font=\small,
    inner sep=2pt
  },
  group/.style={font=\bfseries},
  gen/.style={font=\small\bfseries, anchor=east}
]

% Family and column headings
\node[group] at (0.825,1.35) {Quarks};
\node[group] at (4.675,1.35) {Leptons};
\node at (0,0.78) {up-type};
\node at (1.65,0.78) {down-type};
\node at (3.85,0.78) {neutrino};
\node at (5.5,0.78) {charged};

% Generation labels
\node[gen] at (-0.95,0) {Generation 1};
\node[gen] at (-0.95,-1.25) {Generation 2};
\node[gen] at (-0.95,-2.5) {Generation 3};

% First generation
\node[particle, fill=blue!12] at (0,0) {$u$\\up};
\node[particle, fill=blue!12] at (1.65,0) {$d$\\down};
\node[particle, fill=green!12] at (3.85,0) {$\nu_e$\\electron\\neutrino};
\node[particle, fill=green!12] at (5.5,0) {$e^-$\\electron};

% Second generation
\node[particle, fill=blue!12] at (0,-1.25) {$c$\\charm};
\node[particle, fill=blue!12] at (1.65,-1.25) {$s$\\strange};
\node[particle, fill=green!12] at (3.85,-1.25) {$\nu_\mu$\\muon\\neutrino};
\node[particle, fill=green!12] at (5.5,-1.25) {$\mu^-$\\muon};

% Third generation
\node[particle, fill=blue!12] at (0,-2.5) {$t$\\top};
\node[particle, fill=blue!12] at (1.65,-2.5) {$b$\\bottom};
\node[particle, fill=green!12] at (3.85,-2.5) {$\nu_\tau$\\tau\\neutrino};
\node[particle, fill=green!12] at (5.5,-2.5) {$\tau^-$\\tau};

% Gauge bosons and Higgs boson
\node[group] at (2.8,-3.55) {Gauge bosons and Higgs boson};
\node[particle, fill=orange!15] at (0,-4.45) {$g$\\gluon\\(8 states)};
\node[particle, fill=orange!15] at (1.65,-4.45) {$\gamma$\\photon};
\node[particle, fill=orange!15] at (3.3,-4.45) {$W^\pm$\\charged weak\\bosons};
\node[particle, fill=orange!15] at (4.95,-4.45) {$Z^0$\\neutral weak\\boson};
\node[particle, fill=yellow!25] at (6.6,-4.45) {$H$\\Higgs};

\end{tikzpicture}
\caption{A compact chart of Standard Model particles. Quark and lepton antiparticles are omitted.}
\end{figure}

\end{document}

How the layout works

Each \node creates a labeled box at an $(x,y)$ coordinate. The particle style sets the border, rounded corners, width, alignment, and font once, so you can adjust the appearance in one place. The fill option gives quarks, leptons, and bosons different colors; these colors are just visual aids, not physical classifications.

The row positions are $0$, $-1.25$, and $-2.5$, so each row represents one generation. The column positions put the two quarks together and the two leptons together. The \\ inside a node starts a new line, which keeps symbols and names stacked in each card. The final row uses five cards because it combines the eight gluons into one label and the two charged $W$ bosons into one label.

To customize the chart, change the coordinates to alter spacing, edit the fill colors, or add information such as particle masses. If you want to include quark and lepton antiparticles, add separate cards or use a note explaining that each listed quark and lepton has a corresponding antiparticle. The $W^\pm$ notation already indicates both charge states.

Common mistakes

• Calling it a literal periodic table. The arrangement is a classification diagram; unlike chemical elements, particles are not ordered by atomic number.
• Treating each card as one particle state. The gluon card represents eight color states, and $W^\pm$ represents two charge states.
• Forgetting quark and lepton antiparticles. The chart intentionally omits them to stay compact. A chart intended to show antiparticles should make that omission explicit or include them.
• Using long labels without planning for width. Long names can make TikZ nodes wider or taller. Add line breaks, increase the node dimensions, or move columns farther apart if labels collide.