Physics and Astronomy Classification Scheme® (PACS)

The PACS scheme for 2010 is available here.

The 2010 Special Edition specifies additions, modifications, and deletions made to the 2008 version.

• Alphabetical Index
• Regular Edition
• Special Edition

Earlier versions of PACS are no longer available. If you need to access previous versions, please send a message to help@aps.org.

General Information

The Physics and Astronomy Classification Scheme® (PACS) was developed by the American Institute of Physics (AIP) and has been used in Physical Review since 1975 to identify fields and sub-fields of physics. It is used in a variety of ways, for example, in the online journals as a tool in searching for articles by subject. PACS is arranged hierarchically, by subdivision of the whole spectrum of subject matter in physics- and astronomy-related sciences into segments and then repeating the process of subdivision down to four levels.

If you are new to the PACS scheme, or would like further information, it is available here at AIP.

If you have comments about the PACS scheme, or want to suggest changes or point out errors, please use the feedback form.