Teaches the PDG (Particle Data Group) tool chain for looking up particle properties, measurements, decays, and references from the local PDG SQLite database.
This skill teaches the correct tool-calling sequence for PDG lookups via the pdg_* MCP tools.
All PDG tools are local-only (no network) and require PDG_DB_PATH to be set.
pdg_info # Check DB status, see available editions
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pdg_find_particle # Search by name / MCID / PDG identifier
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+-- pdg_get_property # Quick: mass, width, lifetime (with uncertainties)
+-- pdg_get_measurements # Detailed: all measurements for a PDG identifier
+-- pdg_get_decays # All decay modes for a particle
+-- pdg_get # Full PDG identifier object (JSON artifact)
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pdg_find_reference # Find PDG references by DOI / INSPIRE recid / title
pdg_get_reference # Get a specific PDG reference record
pdg_info {}
Returns DB path, edition year, and data directories. If this fails, the user needs to set PDG_DB_PATH.
pdg_find_particle { query: "top quark" }
pdg_find_particle { query: "t", mcid: 6 }
pdg_find_particle { pdgid: "S008" }
The result includes pdgid values (e.g., "S008" for the top quark) needed for subsequent calls.
pdg_get_property { pdgid: "S008M", particle: "t" }
pdg_get_property { particle: "W", property: "mass" }
pdg_get_property { particle: "Z", property: "width" }
allow_derived: true to get width derived from lifetime (and vice versa).pdg_get_measurements { particle: "t", property: "mass" }
CRITICAL: If the result has kind: "series_options" or stop_here: true, you MUST STOP and present the options to the user. Then call again with the specific property_pdgid or data_type from example_next_calls:
pdg_get_measurements { property_pdgid: "S008M" }
pdg_get_measurements { pdgid: "S008M", data_type: "DIRECT MEASUREMENT" }
Never skip the series selection step. The result is a JSONL artifact with full measurement details.
pdg_get_decays { particle: "Z" }
pdg_get_decays { pdgid: "S044" }
Returns all known decay modes with branching ratios as a JSONL artifact.
pdg_find_reference { query: "CKM" }
pdg_find_reference { doi: "10.1103/PhysRevD.110.030001" }
pdg_find_reference { inspire_id: "2830185" }
pdg_get_reference { document_id: 12345 }
pdg_find_particle { query: "top quark" } -> get pdgid S008pdg_get_property { particle: "t", property: "mass" } -> quick valuepdg_get_measurements { particle: "t", property: "mass" } -> may return series_optionspdg_get_measurements { property_pdgid: "S008M" }pdg_find_particle { query: "Z boson" } -> get pdgid S044pdg_get_decays { pdgid: "S044" } -> all decay modes with BRspdg_find_particle { query: "Higgs" } -> pdgid S126pdg_get_measurements { particle: "H", property: "mass" } -> handle series_optionspdg_get_measurements { property_pdgid: "S126M" } -> all mass measurementspdg_find_reference { query: "CKM" } -> find document_idpdg_get_reference { document_id: <id> } -> full reference with INSPIRE linkpdg_get_property is fast and returns a single best-fit value. Use it for quick lookups.pdg_get_measurements returns the full measurement history. Use it when the user needs individual experiment results."W", "w", "W boson" all work.pdg_batch (full exposure only) to run multiple PDG lookups in one call.allow_derived: true to get the other.