This work aims to differentiate strangeness produced from hard processes (jet-like) and softer processes (underlying event) by measuring the angular correlation between a high-momentum trigger hadron (h) acting as a jet-proxy and a produced strange hadron ($\phi(1020)$ meson). Measuring h$-\phi$ correlations at midrapidity in p$-$Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}$ = 5.02 TeV as a function of event multiplicity provides insight into the microscopic origin of strangeness enhancement in small collision systems. The jet-like and the underlying-event-like strangeness production are investigated as a function of event multiplicity. They are also compared between a lower and higher momentum region. The evolutions of the per-trigger yields within the near-side (aligned with the trigger hadron) and away-side (in the opposite direction of the trigger hadron) jets are studied separately, allowing for the characterization of two distinct jet-like production regimes. Furthermore, the h$-\phi$ correlations within the underlying event give access to a production regime dominated by soft production processes, which can be compared directly to the in-jet production. Comparisons between h$-\phi$ and dihadron correlations show that the observed strangeness enhancement is largely driven by the underlying event, where the $\phi/\mathrm{h}$ ratio is significantly larger than within the jet regions. As multiplicity increases, the fraction of the total $\phi(1020)$ yield coming from jets decreases compared to the underlying event production, leading to high-multiplicity events being dominated by the increased strangeness production from the underlying event.

The $p_{\rm T}$-differential cross section of $\omega$ meson production in pp collisions at $\sqrt{s}= 13$ TeV at midrapidity ($|y|<0.5$) was measured with the ALICE detector at the LHC, covering an unprecedented transverse-momentum range of $1.6 <p_{\rm T}< 50$ GeV/$c$. The meson is reconstructed via the $\omega\rightarrow\pi^+\pi^-\pi^0$ decay channel. The results are compared with various theoretical calculations: PYTHIA8.2 with the Monash 2013 tune overestimates the data by up to 50%, whereas good agreement is observed with Next-to-Leading Order (NLO) calculations incorporating $\omega$ fragmentation using a broken SU(3) model. The $\omega/\pi^0$ ratio is presented and compared with theoretical calculations and the available measurements at lower collision energies. The presented data triples the $p_{\rm T}$ ranges of previously available measurements. A constant ratio of $C^{\omega/\pi^0}=0.578\pm0.006~\text{(stat.)}\pm 0.013~\text{(syst.)}$ is found above a transverse momentum of $4$ GeV/$c$, which is in agreement with previous findings at lower collision energies within the systematic and statistical uncertainties.

The production yields of the orbitally excited charm-strange mesons $\mathrm{D_{s1}(1^{+})(2536)^+}$ and $\mathrm{D_{s2}^{*}(2^{+})(2573)^+}$were measured for the first time in proton-proton (pp) collisions at a center-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s}=13$ TeV with the ALICE experiment at the LHC. The $\mathrm{D_{s1}^+}$ and $\mathrm{D_{s2}^{*+}}$ mesons were measured at midrapidity ($|y|<0.5$) in minimum-bias and high-multiplicity pp collisions in the transverse-momentum interval $2<p_{\rm T}<24$ GeV/$c$. Their production yields relative to the $\mathrm{D_{s}^{+}}$ ground-state yield were found to be compatible between minimum-bias and high-multiplicity collisions, as well as with previous measurements in ${\rm e}^{\pm}$p and ${\rm e^+ e^-}$ collisions. The measured $\mathrm{D_{s1}^+/D_{s}^{+}}$ and $\mathrm{D_{s2}^{*+}/D_{s}^{+}}$ yield ratios are described by statistical hadronization models and can be used to tune the parameters governing the production of excited charm-strange hadrons in Monte Carlo generators, such as PYTHIA 8.

The $p_{\rm T}$-differential production cross sections of non-prompt ${\rm D^0}$, ${\rm D^+}$, and ${\rm D_s^+}$ mesons originating from beauty-hadron decays are measured in proton$-$proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy $\sqrt{s}=13$ TeV. The measurements are performed at midrapidity, $|y| < 0.5$, with the data sample collected by ALICE from 2016 to 2018. The results are in agreement with predictions from several perturbative QCD calculations. The fragmentation fraction of beauty quarks to strange mesons divided by the one to non-strange mesons, $f_{\rm{s}}/(f_{\rm{u}} + f_{\rm{d}})$, is found to be $0.114 \pm 0.016~{\rm (stat.)} \pm 0.006~{\rm (syst.)} \pm 0.003~{\rm (BR)} \pm 0.003~{\rm (extrap.)}$. This value is compatible with previous measurements at lower centre-of-mass energies and in different collision systems in agreement with the assumption of universality of fragmentation functions. In addition, the dependence of the non-prompt D meson production on the centre-of-mass energy is investigated by comparing the results obtained at $\sqrt{s} = 5.02$ and 13 TeV, showing a hardening of the non-prompt D-meson $p_{\rm T}$-differential production cross section at higher $\sqrt{s}$. Finally, the ${\rm b\overline{b}}$ production cross section per unit of rapidity at midrapidity is calculated from the non-prompt ${\rm D^0}$, ${\rm D^+}$, ${\rm D_s^+}$, and $\Lambda_{\rm c}^+$ hadron measurements, obtaining ${\rm d}\sigma/{\rm d}y = 75.2\pm 3.2~(\mathrm{stat.}) \pm 5.2~(\mathrm{syst.})^{+12.3}_{-3.2} ~(\mathrm{extrap.})\text{ } \rm \mu b \;.$

The first measurements of dielectron production at midrapidity ($|\eta_{c}|<0.8$) in proton-proton and proton-lead collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm{NN}}}$ = 5.02 TeV at the LHC are presented. The dielectron cross section is measured with the ALICE detector as a function of the invariant mass $m_{\rm{ee}}$ and the pair transverse momentum $p_{\rm{T,ee}}$ in the ranges $m_{\rm{ee}}$ < 3.5 GeV/$c^{2}$ and $p_{\rm{T,ee}}$ < 8.0 GeV/$c^{2}$, in both collision systems. In proton-proton collisions, the charm and beauty cross sections are determined at midrapidity from a fit to the data with two different event generators. This complements the existing dielectron measurements performed at $\sqrt{s}$ = 7 and 13 TeV. The slope of the $\sqrt{s}$ dependence of the three measurements is described by FONLL calculations. The dielectron cross section measured in proton-lead collisions is in agreement, within the current precision, with the expected dielectron production without any nuclear matter effects for $\rm{e}^{+}\rm{e}^{-}$ pairs from open heavy-flavor hadron decays. For the first time at LHC energies, the dielectron production in proton-lead and proton-proton collisions are directly compared at the same $\sqrt{s_{\rm{NN}}}$ via the dielectron nuclear modification factor $R_{\rm{pPb}}$. The measurements are compared to model calculations including cold nuclear matter effects, or additional sources of dielectrons from thermal radiation.

The production yields of antideuterons and antiprotons are measured in pp collisions at a center-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s}=13$ TeV, as a function of transverse momentum ($p_{\rm T}$) and rapidity ($y$), for the first time rapidity-differentially up to $|y|= 0.7$. The measured spectra are used to study the $p_{\rm T}$ and rapidity dependence of the coalescence parameter $B_2$, which quantifies the coalescence probability of antideuterons. The $p_{\rm T}$ and rapidity dependence of the obtained $B_2$ is extrapolated for $p_{\rm T}> 1.7$ GeV/$c$ and $|y|>0.7$ using the phenomenological antideuteron production model implemented in PYTHIA 8.3 as well as a baryon coalescence afterburner model based on EPOS 3. Such measurements are of interest to the astrophysics community, since they can be used for the calculation of the flux of antinuclei from cosmic rays, in combination with coalescence models.

The first measurement of $_{\Lambda}^{3}\mathrm{H}$ and $^3_ {\overline{\Lambda}}\overline{\mathrm{H}}$ differential production with respect to transverse momentum and centrality in Pb$-$Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}}=5.02$~TeV is presented. The $_{\Lambda}^{3}\mathrm{H}$ has been reconstructed via its two-charged-body decay channel, i.e., $_{\Lambda}^{3}\mathrm{H} \rightarrow {}^{3}\mathrm{He} + \pi^{-}$. A Blast-Wave model fit of the $p_{\rm T}$-differential spectra of all nuclear species measured by the ALICE collaboration suggests that the $_{\Lambda}^{3}\mathrm{H}$ kinetic freeze-out surface is consistent with that of other nuclei. The ratio between the integrated yields of $_{\Lambda}^{3}\mathrm{H}$ and $^3\mathrm{He}$ is compared to predictions from the statistical hadronisation model and the coalescence model, with the latter being favoured by the presented measurements.

The total charm-quark production cross section per unit of rapidity $\mathrm{d}\sigma({\rm c\overline{c}})/\mathrm{d}y$, and the fragmentation fractions of charm quarks to different charm-hadron species $f(\mathrm{c}\rightarrow {\rm h_{c}})$, are measured for the first time in p$-$Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_\mathrm{NN}} = 5.02$ TeV at midrapidity ($-0.96<y<0.04$ in the centre-of-mass frame) using data collected by ALICE at the CERN LHC. The results are obtained based on all the available measurements of prompt production of ground-state charm-hadron species: $\mathrm{D}^{0}$, $\mathrm{D}^{+}$, $\mathrm{D}_\mathrm{s}^{+}$, and $\mathrm{J/\psi}$ mesons, and $\Lambda_\mathrm{c}^{+}$ and $\Xi_{\rm c}^{0}$ baryons. The resulting cross section is $\mathrm{d}\sigma({\rm c\overline{c}})/\mathrm{d}y =219.6 \pm 6.3\;(\mathrm{stat.}) {\;}_{-11.8}^{+10.5}\;(\mathrm{syst.}) {\;}_{-2.9}^{+8.3}\;(\mathrm{extr.})\pm 5.4\;(\mathrm{BR})\pm 4.6\;(\mathrm{lumi.}) \pm 19.5\;(\text{rapidity shape})+15.0\;(\Omega_{\rm c}^{0})$ mb, which is consistent with a binary scaling of pQCD calculations from pp collisions. The measured fragmentation fractions are compatible with those measured in pp collisions at $\sqrt{s} = 5.02$ and $13$ TeV, showing an increase in the relative production rates of charm baryons with respect to charm mesons in pp and p$-$Pb collisions compared with $\mathrm{e^{+}e^{-}}$ and $\mathrm{e^{-}p}$ collisions. The $p_\mathrm{T}$-integrated nuclear modification factor of charm quarks, $R_\mathrm{pPb}({\rm c\overline{c}})= 0.91 \pm 0.04\;{\rm (stat.)}{}^{+0.08}_{-0.09}\;{\rm (syst.)}{}^{+0.05}_{-0.03}\;{\rm (extr.)}{}\pm 0.03\;{\rm (lumi.)}$, is found to be consistent with unity and with theoretical predictions including nuclear modifications of the parton distribution functions.

The production cross sections of $\mathrm {D^0}$, $\mathrm {D^+}$, and $\mathrm {\Lambda_{c}^{+}}$ hadrons originating from beauty-hadron decays (i.e. non-prompt) were measured for the first time at midrapidity in proton$-$lead (p$-$Pb) collisions at the center-of-mass energy per nucleon pair of $\sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}} = 5.02$ TeV. Nuclear modification factors ($R_{\mathrm {pPb}}$) of non-prompt $\mathrm {D^0}$, $\mathrm {D^+}$, and $\mathrm {\Lambda_{c}^{+}}$ are calculated as a function of the transverse momentum ($p_{\mathrm T}$) to investigate the modification of the momentum spectra measured in p$-$Pb collisions with respect to those measured in proton$-$proton (pp) collisions at the same energy. The $R_{\mathrm {pPb}}$ measurements are compatible with unity and with the measurements in the prompt charm sector, and do not show a significant $p_{\mathrm T}$ dependence. The $p_{\mathrm T}$-integrated cross sections and $p_{\mathrm T}$-integrated $R_{\mathrm {pPb}}$ of non-prompt $\mathrm {D^0}$ and $\mathrm {D^+}$ mesons are also computed by extrapolating the visible cross sections down to $p_{\mathrm T}$ = 0. The non-prompt D-meson $R_{\mathrm {pPb}}$ integrated over $p_{\mathrm T}$ is compatible with unity and with model calculations implementing modification of the parton distribution functions of nucleons bound in nuclei with respect to free nucleons. The non-prompt $\mathrm {\Lambda_{c}^{+}/D^{0}}$ and $\mathrm{D^+/D^0}$ production ratios are computed to investigate hadronisation mechanisms of beauty quarks into mesons and baryons. The measured ratios as a function of $p_{\mathrm T}$ display a similar trend to that measured for charm hadrons in the same collision system.

First measurements of hadron(h)$-\Lambda$ azimuthal angular correlations in p$-$Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}$ = 5.02 TeV using the ALICE detector at the Large Hadron Collider are presented. These correlations are used to separate the production of associated $\Lambda$ baryons into three different kinematic regions, namely those produced in the direction of the trigger particle (near-side), those produced in the opposite direction (away-side), and those whose production is uncorrelated with the jet axis (underlying event). The per-trigger associated $\Lambda$ yields in these regions are extracted, along with the near- and away-side azimuthal peak widths, and the results are studied as a function of associated particle $p_{\rm T}$ and event multiplicity. Comparisons with the DPMJET event generator and previous measurements of the $\phi(1020)$ meson are also made. The final results indicate that strangeness production in the highest multiplicity p$-$Pb collisions is enhanced relative to low multiplicity collisions in both the jet-like regions and the underlying event. The production of $\Lambda$ relative to charged hadrons is also enhanced in the underlying event when compared to the jet-like regions. Additionally, the results hint that strange quark production in the away-side of the jet is modified by soft interactions with the underlying event.