Basic question about the Standard Model: Is it accurate to say that all of the particles defined by the SM can be categorically distinguished entirely by discrete properties (eg, spin, color, charge units, interaction type, etc), as opposed to also requiring continuous properties (eg, rest mass, etc)? I'm wondering if the discrete/continuous property distinction somehow reflects a fundamental distinction between quantum and classical "objects".
Standard Model – Comprehensive Guide to Elementary Particle Properties
elementary-particlesstandard-model
Related Solutions
I would definitely recommend David Griffiths' book on particle physics. I don't have my copy with me right now, but as I recall, the book explains what the different particles of the Standard Model are, as well as the various properties of particles that are important in modern particle physics. It also introduces the basics of quantum field theory, just enough to allow you to calculate cross sections and decay rates for various reactions. Toward the end, it shows you the basic ideas behind spontaneous symmetry breaking and the Higgs mechanism, which shows you where this prediction of the Higgs boson comes from.
If you want to get into more mathematical detail, another book I could recommend is Halzen and Martin. It dates back to 1984 but the physics is still basically correct. I've found that that book takes a lot more effort to work through - that is, you actually have to slow down and think about what you're reading, and work through some of the math, but as long as you put the time in, the understanding you gain is well worth it.
That a particle decays into other particles is completely disjoint from it having substructure/being fundamental or composite.
Some examples: A highly energetic photon may "decay" into an electron and a positron in the presence of another object that takes the excess momentum. That doesn't mean a photon is a composite of electron and positron. A free neutron decays into a proton, an electron and an electron anti-neutrino with an average lifetime of 10 minutes, yet it is a composite state of three quarks.
Being constituted of other particles means being a bound state of these particles. Quantum field theoretic processes have no problem turning one kind of particles into other kinds of particles (subject to certain rules, of course), but this sort of process does not imply that the results actually constituted the input. In no meaningful way is a photon a bound state of electron and positron, in no meaningful way is a neutron a bound state of proton and electron, and in no meaningful way is a muon a bound state of an electron and neutrinos.
Best Answer
The standard model is a quantum field theoretical model. The elementary particles of the standard model are axiomatic, they are not defined by the model, but constrain the model:
There is nothing continuous in the definitions in the table, the particles are also, for the model, point particles, they have no extent in space.
Over the years the table has been expanded as more and more particles were found necessary in order to fit the data, and as accelerators open up higher mass possibilities this will probably go on, as the theoretical model will be expanding to fit the newer data.