We present the first measurements of femtoscopic correlations between the K$^0_{\rm S}$ and K$^{\rm \pm}$ particles in pp collisions at $\sqrt{s}=7$ TeV measured by the ALICE experiment. The observed femtoscopic correlations are consistent with final-state interactions proceeding solely via the $a_0(980)$ resonance. The extracted kaon source radius and correlation strength parameters for K$^0_{\rm S}$K$^{\rm -}$ are found to be equal within the experimental uncertainties to those for K$^0_{\rm S}$K$^{\rm +}$. Results of the present study are compared with those from identical-kaon femtoscopic studies also performed with pp collisions at $\sqrt{s}=7$ TeV by ALICE and with a K$^0_{\rm S}$K$^{\rm \pm}$ measurement in Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}=2.76$ TeV. Combined with the Pb-Pb results, our pp analysis is found to be compatible with the interpretation of the $a_0(980)$ having a tetraquark structure instead of that of a diquark.

Production cross sections of muons from semi-leptonic decays of charm and beauty hadrons were measured at forward rapidity ($2.5<y<4$) in proton--proton (pp) collisions at a centre-of-mass energy $\sqrt{s}=5.02$ TeV with the ALICE detector at the CERN LHC. The results were obtained in an extended transverse momentum interval, $2 < p_{\rm T} < 20$ GeV/$c$, and with an improved precision compared to previous measurements performed in the same rapidity interval at centre-of-mass energies $\sqrt{s}= 2.76$ and 7 TeV. The $p_{\rm T}$- and $y$-differential production cross sections as well as the $p_{\rm T}$-differential production cross section ratios between different centre-of-mass energies and different rapidity intervals are described, within experimental and theoretical uncertainties, by predictions based on perturbative QCD.

The production of $\Upsilon$ mesons in Pb-Pb collisions at a centre-of-mass energy per nucleon pair $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}$ = 5 TeV is measured with the muon spectrometer of the ALICE detector at the LHC. The yields as well as the nuclear modification factors are determined in the forward rapidity region $2.5<y<4.0$, as a function of rapidity, transverse momentum and collision centrality. The results show that the production of the $\Upsilon$(1S) meson is suppressed by a factor of about three with respect to the production in proton-proton collisions. For the first time, a significant signal for the $\Upsilon$(2S) meson is observed at forward rapidity, indicating a suppression stronger by about a factor 2-3 with respect to the ground state. The measurements are compared with transport, hydrodynamic, comover and statistical hadronisation model calculations.

The first measurement of the cross section for incoherent photonuclear production of J/$\psi$ vector mesons as a function of the Mandelstam $|t|$ variable is presented. The measurement was carried out with the ALICE detector at midrapidity, $|y|<0.8$, using ultra-peripheral collisions of Pb nuclei at a centre-of-mass energy per nucleon pair of $\sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}} = 5.02$ TeV. This rapidity interval corresponds to a Bjorken-$x$ range $(0.3-1.4)\times 10^{-3}$. Cross sections are given in five $|t|$ intervals in the range $0.04<|t|<1$ GeV$^2$ and compared to the predictions by different models. Models that ignore quantum fluctuations of the gluon density in the colliding hadron predict a $|t|$-dependence of the cross section much steeper than in data. The inclusion of such fluctuations in the same models provides a better description of the data.

The invariant differential cross section of inclusive $\omega(782)$ meson production at midrapidity ($|y|<0.5$) in pp collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 7 TeV was measured with the ALICE detector at the LHC over a transverse momentum range of 2 < $p_{\rm{T}}$ < 17 GeV/$c$. The $\omega$ meson was reconstructed via its $\omega\rightarrow\pi^+\pi^-\pi^0$ decay channel. The measured $\omega$ production cross section is compared to various calculations: PYTHIA 8.2 Monash 2013 describes the data, while PYTHIA 8.2 Tune 4C overestimates the data by about 50%. A recent NLO calculation, which includes a model describing the fragmentation of the whole vector-meson nonet, describes the data within uncertainties below 6 GeV/$c$, while it overestimates the data by up to 50% for higher $p_{\rm{T}}$. The $\omega/\pi^0$ ratio is in agreement with previous measurements at lower collision energies and the PYTHIA calculations. In addition, the measurement is compatible with transverse mass scaling within the measured $p_{\rm{T}}$ range and the ratio is constant with $C^{\omega/\pi^{0}}$ = 0.67 $\pm$ 0.03 (stat) $\pm$ 0.04 (sys) above a transverse momentum of 2.5 GeV/$c$.

The production cross section of inclusive J/$\psi$ pairs in pp collisions at a centre-of-mass energy $\sqrt{s} = 13$ TeV is measured with ALICE. The measurement is performed for J/$\psi$ in the rapidity interval $2.5 < y < 4.0$ and for transverse momentum $p_{\rm T} > 0$. The production cross section of inclusive J/$\psi$ pairs is reported to be $10.3 \pm 2.3 {\rm (stat.)} \pm 1.3 {\rm (syst.)}$ nb in this kinematic interval. The contribution from non-prompt J/$\psi$ (i.e. originated from beauty-hadron decays) to the inclusive sample is evaluated. The results are discussed and compared with data.

The first measurement of the cross section for coherent J/$\psi$ photoproduction as a function of $|t|$, the square of the momentum transferred between the incoming and outgoing target nucleus, is presented. The data were measured with the ALICE detector in ultra-peripheral Pb-Pb collisions at a centre-of-mass energy per nucleon pair $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}} = 5.02$ TeV with the J/$\psi$ produced in the central rapidity region $|y|<0.8$, which corresponds to the small Bjorken-$x$ range $(0.3-1.4) \times 10^{-3}$. The measured $|t|$-dependence is not described by computations based only on the Pb nuclear form factor, while the photonuclear cross section is better reproduced by models including shadowing according to the leading-twist approximation, or gluon-saturation effects from the impact-parameter dependent Balitsky-Kovchegov equation. These new results are therefore a valid tool to constrain the relevant model parameters and to investigate the transverse gluonic structure at very low Bjorken-$x$.

The inclusive production of the J/$\psi$ and $\psi$(2S) charmonium states is studied as a function of centrality in p-Pb collisions at a centre-of-mass energy per nucleon pair $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}} = 8.16$ TeV at the LHC. The measurement is performed in the dimuon decay channel with the ALICE apparatus in the centre-of-mass rapidity intervals $-4.46 < y_{\rm cms} < -2.96$ (Pb-going direction) and $2.03 < y_{\rm cms} < 3.53$ (p-going direction), down to zero transverse momentum ($p_{\rm T}$). The J/$\psi$ and $\psi$(2S) production cross sections are evaluated as a function of the collision centrality, estimated through the energy deposited in the zero degree calorimeter located in the Pb-going direction. The $p_{\rm T}$-differential J/$\psi$ production cross section is measured at backward and forward rapidity for several centrality classes, together with the corresponding average $\langle p_{\rm T} \rangle$ and $\langle p^{2}_{\rm T} \rangle$ values. The nuclear effects affecting the production of both charmonium states are studied using the nuclear modification factor. In the p-going direction, a suppression of the production of both charmonium states is observed, which seems to increase from peripheral to central collisions. In the Pb-going direction, however, the centrality dependence is different for the two states: the nuclear modification factor of the J/$\psi$ increases from below unity in peripheral collisions to above unity in central collisions, while for the $\psi$(2S) it stays below or consistent with unity for all centralities with no significant centrality dependence. The results are compared with measurements in p-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}} = 5.02$ TeV and no significant dependence on the energy of the collision is observed. Finally, the results are compared with theoretical models implementing various nuclear matter effects.

The inclusive production of the charm-strange baryon $\rm \Omega_c^0$ is measured for the first time via its hadronic decay into $\rm \Omega^-\pi^+$ at midrapidity ($|y|<0.5$) in proton-proton (pp) collisions at the centre-of-mass energy $\sqrt{s}=13$ TeV with the ALICE detector at the LHC. The transverse momentum ($p_{\rm T}$) differential cross section multiplied by the branching ratio is presented in the interval $2<p_{\rm T}<12~{\rm GeV}/c$. The $p_{\rm T}$ dependence of the $\rm \Omega_c^0$-baryon production relative to the prompt $\rm D^0$-meson and to the prompt $\rm \Xi_c^0$-baryon production is compared to various models that take different hadronisation mechanisms into consideration. In the measured $p_{\rm T}$ interval, the ratio of the $p_{\rm T}$-integrated cross sections of $\rm \Omega_c^0$ and prompt $\Lambda_{\rm c}^{+}$ baryons multiplied by the $\rm \Omega^-\pi^+$ branching ratio is found to be larger by a factor of about 20 with a significance of about 4$\sigma$ when compared to $\rm e^+e^-$ collisions.

The first measurement of the production of pions, kaons, (anti-)protons and $\phi$ mesons at midrapidity in Xe-Xe collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}} = 5.44$ TeV is presented. Transverse momentum ($p_{\rm T}$) spectra and $p_{\rm T}$-integrated yields are extracted in several centrality intervals bridging from p-Pb to mid-central Pb-Pb collisions in terms of final-state multiplicity. The study of Xe-Xe and Pb-Pb collisions allows systems at similar charged-particle multiplicities but with different initial geometrical eccentricities to be investigated. A detailed comparison of the spectral shapes in the two systems reveals an opposite behaviour for radial and elliptic flow. In particular, this study shows that the radial flow does not depend on the colliding system when compared at similar charged-particle multiplicity. In terms of hadron chemistry, the previously observed smooth evolution of particle ratios with multiplicity from small to large collision systems is also found to hold in Xe-Xe. In addition, our results confirm that two remarkable features of particle production at LHC energies are also valid in the collision of medium-sized nuclei: the lower proton-to-pion ratio with respect to the thermal model expectations and the increase of the $\phi$-to-pion ratio with increasing final-state multiplicity.