The ALICE Collaboration has measured inclusive J/psi production in pp collisions at a center of mass energy sqrt(s)=2.76 TeV at the LHC. The results presented in this Letter refer to the rapidity ranges |y|<0.9 and 2.5<y<4 and have been obtained by measuring the electron and muon pair decay channels, respectively. The integrated luminosities for the two channels are L^e_int=1.1 nb^-1 and L^mu_int=19.9 nb^-1, and the corresponding signal statistics are N_J/psi^e+e-=59 +/- 14 and N_J/psi^mu+mu-=1364 +/- 53. We present dsigma_J/psi/dy for the two rapidity regions under study and, for the forward-y range, d^2sigma_J/psi/dydp_t in the transverse momentum domain 0<p_t<8 GeV/c. The results are compared with previously published results at sqrt(s)=7 TeV and with theoretical calculations.

The first measurement of two-pion Bose-Einstein correlations in central Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}} = 2.76$ TeV at the Large Hadron Collider is presented. We observe a growing trend with energy now not only for the longitudinal and the outward but also for the sideward pion source radius. The pion homogeneity volume and the decoupling time are significantly larger than those measured at RHIC.

The fragmentation of the hadronic system into Λ, Σ(1385), K ) and K ∗ (892) in deep-inelastic charged-current interactions of high energy neutrinos and antineutrinos with proton and neutron is analyzed. The results obtained for the production of these particles from the various initial states are compared with each other and with the predictions of the Lund fragmentation model. This comparison shows that a spectator diquark does not fragment as a whole in a fraction of the interactions. The role of the sea quarks in the baryon formation process is underlined. Strange vector and pseudoscalar mesons are likely to be produced at similar rates.

Cross-section values or upper limits are presented for twenty-five two-body hypercharge-exchange reactions in K − p and π + p interactions at 10 and 16 GeV/ c . The 16 GeV/ c results are compared with some predictions of line-reversal plus exchange-degenerate Regge poles, of SU(3) and of the additive quark model. Agreement is found in all cases.

The production of η(550) and ω(780) mesons is studied in π ± p interactions at 16 GeV/ c and K − p interactions at 10 and 16 GeV/ c . Cross sections for exclusive channels are presented, and for the π + p data differential cross sections are given for quasi-inclusive production where the η or ω is required to be accompanied by charged particles only. Close similarities are observed between η, ω and also ϱ 0 (770) production in terms of longitudinal and transverse variables. By a rough estimate, the η, ω and ϱ 0 inclusive yields are found to be in the ratio 0.32 : 0.85 : 1, respectively, for 16 GeV/ c π + p collisions. For non-peripheral production we estimate this same ratio to be 0.34 : 0.9 : 1.

A comparison is made of the properties and production mechanisms of the π + ω and K − ω systems produced in the reactions π + p → π + ω p at 4, 5, 8 and 16 GeV/ c and K − p → K − ω p at 10 and 16 GeV/ c . In the π + ω case apeak is observed at 1.23 GeV (the B meson), while the K − ω mass distribution has a threshold enhancement. The cross section of the low mass (<2.0 GeV) π + ω system falls as p lab −2 , while that of the low mass (<2.0 GeV) K − ω system is almost constant with energy, indicating diffractive production of the K − ω system, but not of the πω system. Using a modified version of the Illinois partial-wave analysis program, it is found that the K − ω system is dominantly produced in the J P = 1 + state with small contributions of 0 − and 2 + , mainly by natural parity exchange - as is found for reactions such as K − p → (K − π + π − )p which are predominantly diffractive. For the π + ω system in the B mass region, J P = 1 + states, produced mainly by natural parity exchange are found; the contributions of 0 − P, 1 − P, 2 − P and 2 + D are consistent with zero. The 1 + D state occurs in the π + ω case but not in the K − ω system, nor in the K ππ − system produced in the K − p → K ππ p reaction.

A partial-wave analysis of the (K ππ ) 0 system produced in the charge exchange reaction K − p →( K 0 π + π − ) n has been made in the mass range 1.04 ⩽ M (K ππ ) < 1.56 GeV c data at 8, 10 and 16 GeV/ c . It was found that in about 2 3 of the cases, the (K ππ ) 0 system is produced in states of unnatural spin-parity, namely J P = 0 − and 1 + ; the rest is in the natural spin-parity state J P = 2 + state is consistent with being all K ∗ (1420). The unnatural spin-parity states are produced mostly (∼ 80% of the events) by natural parity exchange. The facts that unnatural spin-parity states are produced in this non-diffractive channel, with J P = 1 + dominant, and that the exchange responsible for their production is mostly of natural parity, are similar to what was found for the charged (K ππ ) − system in the diffractive reaction K − p→(K ππ ) − p. However, the absolute value and the energy dependence of the cross sections are very different in the two cases.

The inclusive production of Ξ − and Ξ ∗0 (1530) is investigated in K − p interactions at 10 and 16 GeV/ c . The inclusive production cross sections are 172 ± 20 μ b and 135 ± 15 μ b for the Ξ − , and 43 ± 7 μ b and 32 ± 5 μ b for the Ξ ∗0 (1530) at 10 and 16 GeV /c , respectively. In the beam momentum range up to 16 GeV/ c , the energy dependence of the cross section for Ξ − production in K − p interactions is similar to Σ − production in π − p interactions. It is, instead, different from the energy behaviour of Σ − production cross sections observed in π − p interactions. The Ξ − and Ξ ∗0 (1530) are both produced more in the forward ( x > 0) than in the backward hemisphere, indicating the presence of hyperon-exchange processes.

A strong negative transverse polarization P z is found for forward produced lambdas observed in 10 and 16 GeV/ c K − p interactions. This indicates that exchanges of natural spin-parity are dominant in the production process. Using the polarization results, the d σ d u′ distributions for natural and unnatural spin-parity exchanges are derived. For unnatural exchanges, a dip is observed at u ′≅0.3 GeV 2 , which can be explained as a nonsense-wrong-signature zero of the N β trajectory. The value of P z for forward producted lambdas is constant with energy. This is in agreement with the triple-Regge model prediction, as is the fact that P z is constant as a function of M 2 s . The two non-transverse polarization components, P x and P y , have been measured and are found to be consistent with zero for all x values, unlike P z .

The inclusive production of Σ + (1385) and Σ − (1385) has been studied in K − p interactions at 10 and 10 and 16 GeV/ c . It is found that the cross sections for the reactions K − p → Σ ± (1385) + anything are approximately constant in the energy range form 10 to 32 GeV/ c , being ≈ 350 μ b for Σ + (1385) and ≈ 250 μ b for Σ − (1385). The d σ d p ⊥ 2 distributions for Σ ± (1385) fall off exponentially with increasing p ⊥ 2 , with sloped of about 3 (GeV/ c ) −2 . The d σ /d x distributions for Σ + (1385) and Σ − (1385) are markedly different: the production of Σ − (1385) is symmetrical forwards and backwards in the c.m.s.; for Σ + (1385), the distribution is the same as for Σ − (1385) in the forward direction, but presents a large excess of events in the backward direction. This indicates that for the production of both Σ + (1385) and Σ − (1385) the fragmentation of the incoming kaon is negligible. The fragmentation of the target proton is negligible for Σ − (1385), but it is important for Σ + (1385) and is responsible for the excess (∼100 μ b) of its cross section over that for Σ − (1385).