We report on measurements of dielectron ($e^+e^-$) production in Au$+$Au collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 200 GeV per nucleon-nucleon pair using the STAR detector at RHIC. Systematic measurements of the dielectron yield as a function of transverse momentum ($p_{\rm T}$) and collision centrality show an enhancement compared to a cocktail simulation of hadronic sources in the low invariant-mass region ($M_{ee}<$ 1 GeV/$c^2$). This enhancement cannot be reproduced by the $\rho$-meson vacuum spectral function. In minimum-bias collisions, in the invariant-mass range of 0.30 $-$ 0.76 GeV/$c^2$, integrated over the full $p_{\rm T}$ acceptance, the enhancement factor is 1.76 $\pm$ 0.06 (stat.) $\pm$ 0.26 (sys.) $\pm$ 0.29 (cocktail). The enhancement factor exhibits weak centrality and $p_{\rm T}$ dependence in STAR's accessible kinematic regions, while the excess yield in this invariant-mass region as a function of the number of participating nucleons follows a power-law shape with a power of 1.44 $\pm$ 0.10. Models that assume an in-medium broadening of the $\rho$ meson spectral function consistently describe the observed excess in these measurements. Additionally, we report on measurements of $\omega$ and $\phi$-meson production through their $e^+e^-$ decay channel. These measurements show good agreement with Tsallis Blast-Wave model predictions as well as, in the case of the $\phi$-meson, results through its $K^+K^-$ decay channel. In the intermediate invariant-mass region (1.1$<M_{ee}<$ 3 GeV/$c^2$), we investigate the spectral shapes from different collision centralities. Physics implications for possible in-medium modification of charmed hadron production and other physics sources are discussed.

We present the transverse momentum (pT) spectra for identified charged pions, protons and anti-protons from p+p and d+Au collisions at \sqrts_NN = 200 GeV. The spectra are measured around midrapidity (|y| &lt; 0.5) over the range of 0.3 &lt; pT &lt; 10 GeV/c with particle identification from the ionization energy loss and its relativistic rise in the Time Projection Chamber and Time-of-Flight in STAR. The charged pion and proton+anti-proton spectra at high pT in p+p and d+Au collisions are in good agreement with a phenomenological model (EPOS) and with the next-to-leading order perturbative quantum chromodynamic (NLO pQCD) calculations with a specific fragmentation scheme and factorization scale. We found that all proton, anti-proton and charged pion spectra in p+p collisions follow xT-scalings for the momentum range where particle production is dominated by hard processes (pT > 2 GeV/c). The nuclear modification factor around midrapidity are found to be greater than unity for charged pions and to be even larger for protons at 2 &lt; pT &lt; 5 GeV/c.

The production of the $\Lambda$(1520) baryonic resonance has been measured at midrapidity in inelastic pp collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 7 TeV and in p-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm{NN}}}$ = 5.02 TeV for non-single diffractive events and in multiplicity classes. The resonance is reconstructed through its hadronic decay channel $\Lambda$(1520) $\rightarrow$ pK$^{-}$ and the charge conjugate with the ALICE detector. The integrated yields and mean transverse momenta are calculated from the measured transverse momentum distributions in pp and p-Pb collisions. The mean transverse momenta follow mass ordering as previously observed for other hyperons in the same collision systems. A Blast-Wave function constrained by other light hadrons ($\pi$, K, K$_{\rm{S}}^0$, p, $\Lambda$) describes the shape of the $\Lambda$(1520) transverse momentum distribution up to 3.5 GeV/$c$ in p-Pb collisions. In the framework of this model, this observation suggests that the $\Lambda(1520)$ resonance participates in the same collective radial flow as other light hadrons. The ratio of the yield of $\Lambda(1520)$ to the yield of the ground state particle $\Lambda$ remains constant as a function of charged-particle multiplicity, suggesting that there is no net effect of the hadronic phase in p-Pb collisions on the $\Lambda$(1520) yield.

Direct photon production at mid-rapidity in Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{_{\mathrm{NN}}}} = 2.76$ TeV was studied in the transverse momentum range $0.9 < p_\mathrm{T} < 14$ GeV$/c$. Photons were detected with the highly segmented electromagnetic calorimeter PHOS and via conversions in the ALICE detector material with the $e^+e^-$ pair reconstructed in the central tracking system. The results of the two methods were combined and direct photon spectra were measured for the 0-20%, 20-40%, and 40-80% centrality classes. For all three classes, agreement was found with perturbative QCD calculations for $p_\mathrm{T} \gtrsim 5$ GeV$/c$. Direct photon spectra down to $p_\mathrm{T} \approx 1$ GeV$/c$ could be extracted for the 20-40% and 0-20% centrality classes. The significance of the direct photon signal for $0.9 < p_\mathrm{T} < 2.1$ GeV$/c$ is $2.6\sigma$ for the 0-20% class. The spectrum in this $p_\mathrm{T}$ range and centrality class can be described by an exponential with an inverse slope parameter of $(297 \pm 12^\mathrm{stat}\pm 41^\mathrm{syst})$ MeV. State-of-the-art models for photon production in heavy-ion collisions agree with the data within uncertainties.

The ALICE collaboration at the LHC reports measurement of the inclusive production cross section of electrons from semi-leptonic decays of beauty hadrons with rapidity $|y|<0.8$ and transverse momentum $1<p_{\mathrm{T}}<10$ GeV/$c$, in pp collisions at $\sqrt{s} = $ 2.76 TeV. Electrons not originating from semi-electronic decay of beauty hadrons are suppressed using the impact parameter of the corresponding tracks. The production cross section of beauty decay electrons is compared to the result obtained with an alternative method which uses the distribution of the azimuthal angle between heavy-flavour decay electrons and charged hadrons. Perturbative QCD calculations agree with the measured cross section within the experimental and theoretical uncertainties. The integrated visible cross section, $\sigma_{\mathrm{b} \rightarrow \mathrm{e}} = 3.47\pm0.40(\mathrm{stat})^{+1.12}_{-1.33}(\mathrm{sys})\pm0.07(\mathrm{norm}) \mu$b, was extrapolated to full phase space using Fixed Order plus Next-to-Leading Log (FONLL) predictions to obtain the total b$\bar{\mathrm{b}}$ production cross section, $\sigma_{\mathrm{b\bar{b}}} = 130\pm15.1(\mathrm{stat})^{+42.1}_{-49.8}(\mathrm{sys})^{+3.4}_{-3.1}(\mathrm{extr})\pm2.5(\mathrm{norm})\pm4.4(\mathrm{BR}) \mu$b.

The $p_{\rm T}$-differential production cross sections of the prompt charmed mesons $D^0$, $D^+$, $D^{*+}$ and $D_{\rm s}^{+}$ and their charge conjugate in the rapidity interval $-0.96 < y_{\rm cms} < 0.04$ were measured in p-Pb collisions at a centre-of-mass energy $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}} = 5.02$ TeV with the ALICE detector at the LHC. The nuclear modification factor $R_{\rm pPb}$, quantifying the D-meson yield in p-Pb collisions relative to the yield in pp collisions scaled by the number of binary nucleon-nucleon collisions, is compatible within the 15-20% uncertainties with unity in the transverse momentum interval $1 < p_{\rm T} < 24$ GeV/$c$. No significant difference among the $R_{\rm pPb}$ of the four D-meson species is observed. The results are described within uncertainties by theoretical calculations that include initial-state effects. The measurement adds experimental evidence that the modification of the momentum spectrum of D mesons observed in Pb-Pb collisions with respect to pp collisions is due to strong final-state effects induced by hot partonic matter.

The production of (anti-)deuteron and (anti-)$^{3}$He nuclei in Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}$ = 2.76 TeV has been studied using the ALICE detector at the LHC. The spectra exhibit a significant hardening with increasing centrality. Combined blast-wave fits of several particles support the interpretation that this behavior is caused by an increase of radial flow. The integrated particle yields are discussed in the context of coalescence and thermal-statistical model expectations. The particle ratios, $^3$He/d and $^3$He/p, in Pb-Pb collisions are found to be in agreement with a common chemical freeze-out temperature of $T_{\rm chem} \approx 156$ MeV. These ratios do not vary with centrality which is in agreement with the thermal-statistical model. In a coalescence approach, it excludes models in which nucleus production is proportional to the particle multiplicity and favors those in which it is proportional to the particle density instead. In addition, the observation of 31 anti-tritons in Pb-Pb collisions is reported. For comparison, the deuteron spectrum in pp collisions at $\sqrt{s} = 7$ TeV is also presented. While the p/$\pi$ ratio is similar in pp and Pb-Pb collisions, the d/p ratio in pp collisions is found to be lower by a factor of 2.2 than in Pb-Pb collisions.

The transverse momentum ($p_{\mathrm T}$) distribution of primary charged particles is measured at midrapidity in minimum-bias p-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}}=5.02$ TeV with the ALICE detector at the LHC in the range $0.15<p_{\mathrm T}<50$ GeV/$c$. The spectra are compared to the expectation based on binary collision scaling of particle production in pp collisions, leading to a nuclear modification factor consistent with unity for $p_{\mathrm T}$ larger than 2 GeV/$c$, with a weak indication of a Cronin-like enhancement for $p_{\rm T}$ around 4 GeV/$c$. The measurement is compared to theoretical calculations and to data in Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}}=2.76$ TeV.

The production of electrons from heavy-flavour hadron decays was measured as a function of transverse momentum ($p_{\rm T}$) in minimum-bias p-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}=5.02$ TeV with ALICE at the LHC. The measurement covers the $p_{\rm T}$ interval $0.5<p_{\rm T}<12$ GeV/$c$ and the rapidity range $-1.06 < y_{\rm cms} < 0.14$ in the centre-of-mass reference frame. The contribution of electrons from background sources was subtracted using an invariant mass approach. The nuclear modification factor $R_{\rm pPb}$ was calculated by comparing the $p_{\rm T}$-differential invariant cross section in p-Pb collisions to a pp reference at the same centre-of-mass energy, which was obtained by interpolating measurements at $\sqrt{s}= 2.76$ TeV and $\sqrt{s} =7$ TeV. The $R_{\rm pPb}$ is consistent with unity within uncertainties of about 25%, which become larger for $p_{\rm T}$ below 1 GeV/$c$. The measurement shows that heavy-flavour production is consistent with binary scaling, so that a suppression in the high-$p_{\rm T}$ yield in Pb-Pb collisions has to be attributed to effects induced by the hot medium produced in the final state. The data in p-Pb collisions are described by recent model calculations that include cold nuclear matter effects.

The pseudorapidity ($\eta$) and transverse-momentum ($p_{\rm T}$) distributions of charged particles produced in proton-proton collisions are measured at the centre-of-mass energy $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV. The pseudorapidity distribution in $|\eta|<$ 1.8 is reported for inelastic events and for events with at least one charged particle in $|\eta|<$ 1. The pseudorapidity density of charged particles produced in the pseudorapidity region $|\eta|<$ 0.5 is 5.31 $\pm$ 0.18 and 6.46 $\pm$ 0.19 for the two event classes, respectively. The transverse-momentum distribution of charged particles is measured in the range 0.15 $<$ $p_{\rm T}$ $<$ 20 GeV/c and $|\eta|<$ 0.8 for events with at least one charged particle in $|\eta|<$ 1. The correlation between transverse momentum and particle multiplicity is also investigated by studying the evolution of the spectra with event multiplicity. The results are compared with calculations from PYTHIA and EPOS Monte Carlo generators.