The first evidence of spin alignment of vector mesons ($K^{*0}$ and $\phi$) in heavy-ion collisions at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is reported. The spin density matrix element $\rho_{00}$ is measured at midrapidity ($|y| <$ 0.5) in Pb-Pb collisions at a center-of-mass energy ($\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}$) of 2.76 TeV with the ALICE detector. $\rho_{00}$ values are found to be less than 1/3 (1/3 implies no spin alignment) at low transverse momentum ($p_{\rm T} <$ 2 GeV/$c$) for $K^{*0}$ and $\phi$ at a level of 3$\sigma$ and 2$\sigma$, respectively. No significant spin alignment is observed for the $K^0_S$ meson (spin = 0) in Pb-Pb collisions and for the vector mesons in $pp$ collisions. The measured spin alignment is unexpectedly large but qualitatively consistent with the expectation from models which attribute it to a polarization of quarks in the presence of angular momentum in heavy-ion collisions and a subsequent hadronization by the process of recombination.
$cos\theta^{*}$ distribution of $\rm{K}^{*0}$ (average of particle and anti-particle) meson w.r.t. Event Plane in transverse momentum range 0.8-1.2 GeV/$c$ measured in Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 2.76 TeV.
$cos\theta^{*}$ distribution of $\phi$ meson w.r.t. Event Plane in transverse momentum range 0.5-0.7 GeV/$c$ measured in Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 2.76 TeV.
$cos\theta^{*}$ distribution of $\rm{K}^{*0}$ (average of particle and anti-particle) meson w.r.t. Production Plane in transverse momentum range 0.4-1.2 GeV/$c$ measured in Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 2.76 TeV.
The first study of $\phi$-meson production in p-Pb collisions at forward and backward rapidity, at a nucleon-nucleon centre-of-mass energy $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}} = 5.02$~TeV, has been performed with the ALICE apparatus at the LHC. The $\phi$-mesons have been identified in the dimuon decay channel in the transverse momentum ($p_{\rm T}$) range $1 < p_{\rm T} < 7$ GeV/$c$, both in the p-going ($2.03 < y < 3.53$) and the Pb-going ($-4.46 < y < -2.96$) directions, where $y$ stands for the rapidity in the nucleon-nucleon centre-of-mass, the integrated luminosity amounting to $5.01 \pm 0.19$~nb$^{-1}$ and $5.81 \pm 0.20$~nb$^{-1}$, respectively, for the two data samples. Differential cross sections as a function of transverse momentum and rapidity are presented. The forward-backward ratio for $\phi$-meson production is measured for $2.96<|y|<3.53$, resulting in a ratio $\sim 0.5$ with no significant $p_{\rm T}$ dependence within the uncertainties. The $p_{\rm T}$ dependence of the $\phi$ nuclear modification factor $R_{\rm pPb}$ exhibits an enhancement up to a factor 1.6 at $p_{\rm T}$ = 3-4 GeV/$c$ in the Pb-going direction. The $p_{\rm T}$ dependence of the $\phi$-meson cross section in pp collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 2.76 TeV, which is used to determine a reference for the p-Pb results, is also presented here for $1 < p_{\rm T} < 5$ GeV/$c$ and $2.5 <y < 4$ for a $78 \pm 3$~nb$^{-1}$ integrated luminosity sample.
$p_{\rm T}$-differential production cross section of $\phi$ in pp at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}$=2.76 TeV, in the rapidity range 2.5 < y < 4
$p_{\rm T}$-differential production cross section of $\phi$ in p-Pb at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}$=5.02 TeV, in the rapidity range 4.46 < y < 2.96
$p_{\rm T}$-differential production cross section of $\phi$ in p-Pb at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}$=5.02 TeV, in the rapidity range 2.03 < y < 3.53