A measurement is presented of the ZZ production cross section in the ZZ to 2l 2l' decay mode with l = e, mu and l' = e, mu, tau in proton-proton collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV with the CMS experiment at the LHC. Results are based on data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 5.0 inverse femtobarns. The measured cross section sigma(pp to ZZ) = 6.24 [+0.86/-0.80] (stat.) [+0.41/-0.32] (syst.) +/- 0.14 (lumi.) pb is consistent with the standard model predictions. The following limits on ZZZ and ZZ gamma anomalous trilinear gauge couplings are set at 95% confidence level: -0.011 < f[4;Z] < 0.012, -0.012 < f[5;Z] < 0.012, -0.013 < f[4;gamma] < 0.015, and -0.014 < f[5,gamma] < 0.014.

A search is reported for massive resonances decaying into a quark and a vector boson (W or Z), or two vector bosons (WW, WZ, or ZZ). The analysis is performed on an inclusive sample of multijet events corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 19.7 inverse femtobarns, collected in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV with the CMS detector at the LHC. The search uses novel jet-substructure identification techniques that provide sensitivity to the presence of highly boosted vector bosons decaying into a pair of quarks. Exclusion limits are set at a confidence level of 95% on the production of: (i) excited quark resonances q* decaying to qW and qZ for masses less than 3.2 TeV and 2.9 TeV, respectively, (ii) a Randall-Sundrum graviton G[RS] decaying into WW for masses below 1.2 TeV, and (iii) a heavy partner of the W boson W' decaying into WZ for masses less than 1.7 TeV. For the first time mass limits are set on W' to WZ and G[RS] to WW in the all-jets final state. The mass limits on q* to qW, q* to qZ, W' to WZ, G[RS] to WW are the most stringent to date. A model with a "bulk" graviton G[Bulk] that decays into WW or ZZ bosons is also studied.

The measurement of the production of prompt D$^0$, D$^+$, D$^{*+}$, and D$^+_s$ mesons in proton$-$lead (p$-$Pb) collisions at the centre-of-mass energy per nucleon pair of $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}$ = 5.02 TeV, with an integrated luminosity of $292\pm 11$ $\mu$b$^{-1}$, are reported. Differential production cross sections are measured at mid-rapidity ($-0.96<y_{\rm cms}<0.04$) as a function of transverse momentum ($p_{\rm T}$) in the intervals $0< p_{\rm T} < 36$ GeV/$c$ for D$^0$, $1< p_{\rm T} <36$ GeV/$c$ for D$^+$ and D$^{*+}$, and $2< p_{\rm T} <24$ GeV/$c$ for D$^+_s$ mesons. For each species, the nuclear modification factor $R_{\rm pPb}$ is calculated as a function of $p_{\rm T}$ using a proton-proton (pp) reference measured at the same collision energy. The results are compatible with unity in the whole $p_{\rm T}$ range. The average of the non-strange D mesons $R_{\rm pPb}$ is compared with theoretical model predictions that include initial-state effects and parton transport model predictions. The $p_{\rm T}$ dependence of the D$^0$, D$^+$, and D$^{*+}$ nuclear modification factors is also reported in the interval $1< p_{\rm T} < 36$ GeV/$c$ as a function of the collision centrality, and the central-to-peripheral ratios are computed from the D-meson yields measured in different centrality classes. The results are further compared with charged-particle measurements and a similar trend is observed in all the centrality classes. The ratios of the $p_{\rm T}$-differential cross sections of D$^0$, D$^+$, D$^{*+}$, and D$^+_s$ mesons are also reported. The D$^+_s$ and D$^+$ yields are compared as a function of the charged-particle multiplicity for several $p_{\rm T}$ intervals. No modification in the relative abundances of the four species is observed with respect to pp collisions within the statistical and systematic uncertainties.

The multiplicity dependence of electron production from heavy-flavour hadron decays as a function of transverse momentum was measured in p-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}$ = 5.02 TeV using the ALICE detector at the LHC. The measurement was performed in the centre-of-mass rapidity interval $-1.07 < y_{\rm cms} < 0.14$ and transverse momentum interval 2 $< p_{\rm T} <$ 16 GeV/$c$. The multiplicity dependence of the production of electrons from heavy-flavour hadron decays was studied by comparing the $p_{\rm T}$ spectra measured for different multiplicity classes with those measured in pp collisions ($Q_{\rm pPb}$) and in peripheral p-Pb collisions ($Q_{\rm CP}$). The $Q_{\rm pPb}$ results obtained are consistent with unity within uncertainties in the measured $p_{\rm T}$ interval and event classes. This indicates that heavy-flavour decay electron production is consistent with binary scaling and independent of the geometry of the collision system. Additionally, the results suggest that cold nuclear matter effects are negligible within uncertainties, in the production of heavy-flavour decay electrons at midrapidity in p-Pb collisions.

Systematic studies of charge-dependent two- and three-particle correlations in Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{\it{s}_\mathrm{{NN}}} = $ 2.76 and 5.02 TeV used to probe the Chiral Magnetic Effect (CME) are presented. These measurements are performed for charged particles in the pseudorapidity ($\eta$) and transverse momentum ($p_{\rm{T}}$) ranges $\left|\eta \right| < 0.8$ and $0.2 < p_{\mathrm{T}} < 5$ GeV/$c$. A significant charge-dependent signal that becomes more pronounced for peripheral collisions is reported for the CME-sensitive correlators $\gamma_{1,1} = \langle \cos (\varphi_{\alpha} +\varphi_{\beta} - 2\Psi_{2}) \rangle$ and $\gamma_{1,-3} = \langle \cos (\varphi_{\alpha} -3\varphi_{\beta} + 2\Psi_{2}) \rangle$. The results are used to estimate the contribution of background effects, associated with local charge conservation coupled to anisotropic flow modulations, to measurements of the CME. A blast-wave parametrisation that incorporates local charge conservation tuned to reproduce the centrality dependent background effects is not able to fully describe the measured $\gamma_{1,1}$. Finally, the charge and centrality dependence of mixed-harmonics three-particle correlations, of the form $\gamma_{1,2} = \langle \cos (\varphi_{\alpha} +2\varphi_{\beta} - 3\Psi_{3}) \rangle$, which are insensitive to the CME signal, verify again that background contributions dominate the measurement of $\gamma_{1,1}$.

We present the first systematic comparison of the charged-particle pseudorapidity densities for three widely different collision systems, pp, p-Pb, and Pb-Pb, at the top energy of the Large Hadron Collider ($\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}} = 5.02$ TeV) measured over a wide pseudorapidity range (${-3.5 <\eta <5}$), the widest possible among the four experiments at that facility. The systematic uncertainties are minimised since the measurements are recorded by the same experimental apparatus (ALICE). The distributions for p-Pb and Pb-Pb collisions are determined as a function of the centrality of the collisions, while results from pp collisions are reported for inelastic events with at least one charged particle at midrapidity. The charged-particle pseudorapidity densities are, under simple and robust assumptions, transformed to charged-particle rapidity densities. This allows for the calculation and the presentation of the evolution of the width of the rapidity distributions and of a lower bound on the Bjorken energy density, as a function of the number of participants in all three collision systems. We find a decreasing width of the particle production, and roughly a smooth ten fold increase in the energy density, as the system size grows, which is consistent with a gradually higher dense phase of matter.

The study of the azimuthal anisotropy of inclusive muons produced in p-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}} = 8.16$ TeV, using the ALICE detector at the LHC is reported. The measurement of the second-order Fourier coefficient of the particle azimuthal distribution, $v_2$, is performed as a function of transverse momentum $p_{\rm T}$ in the 0-20% high-multiplicity interval at both forward ($2.03 < y_{\rm CMS} < 3.53$) and backward ($-4.46 < y_{\rm CMS} < -2.96$) rapidities over a wide $p_{\rm T}$ range, $0.5 < p_{\rm T} < 10$ GeV/$c$, in which a dominant contribution of muons from heavy-flavour hadron decays is expected at $p_{\rm T} > 2$ GeV/$c$. The $v_2$ coefficient of inclusive muons is extracted using two different techniques, namely two-particle cumulants, used for the first time for heavy-flavour measurements, and forward-central two-particle correlations. Both techniques give compatible results. A positive $v_2$ is measured at both forward and backward rapidities with a significance larger than $4.7\sigma$ and $7.6\sigma$, respectively, in the interval $2 < p_{\rm T} < 6$ GeV/$c$. Comparisons with previous measurements in p-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}} = 5.02$ TeV, and with AMPT and CGC-based theoretical calculations are discussed. The findings impose new constraints on the theoretical interpretations of the origin of the collective behaviour in small collision systems.

The azimuthal ($\Delta\varphi$) correlation distributions between heavy-flavor decay electrons and associated charged particles are measured in pp and p$-$Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm{NN}}} = 5.02$ TeV. Results are reported for electrons with transverse momentum $4<p_{\rm T}<16$ GeV/$c$ and pseudorapidity $|\eta|<0.6$. The associated charged particles are selected with transverse momentum $1<p_{\rm T}<7$ GeV/$c$, and relative pseudorapidity separation with the leading electron $|\Delta\eta| < 1$. The correlation measurements are performed to study and characterize the fragmentation and hadronization of heavy quarks. The correlation structures are fitted with a constant and two von Mises functions to obtain the baseline and the near- and away-side peaks, respectively. The results from p$-$Pb collisions are compared with those from pp collisions to study the effects of cold nuclear matter. In the measured trigger electron and associated particle kinematic regions, the two collision systems give consistent results. The $\Delta\varphi$ distribution and the peak observables in pp and p$-$Pb collisions are compared with calculations from various Monte Carlo event generators.

The transverse-momentum ($p_{\rm T}$) spectra of ${\rm K}^*(892)^0$ and $\phi(1020)$ measured with the ALICE detector up to $p_{\rm T}$ = 16 GeV/$c$ in the rapidity range $-1.2 < y < 0.3$, in p-Pb collisions at the center-of-mass energy per nucleon-nucleon collision $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}$ = 5.02 TeV are presented as a function of charged particle multiplicity and rapidity. The measured $p_{\rm T}$ distributions show a dependence on both multiplicity and rapidity at low $p_{\rm T}$ whereas no significant dependence is observed at high $p_{\rm T}$. A rapidity dependence is observed in the $p_{\rm T}$-integrated yield (d$N$/d$y$), whereas the mean transverse momentum ($\left< p_{\rm T} \right>$) shows a flat behavior as a function of rapidity. The rapidity asymmetry ($Y_{\rm asym}$) at low $p_{\rm T}$ ( < 5 GeV/$c$) is more significant for higher multiplicity classes. At high $p_{\rm T}$, no significant rapidity asymmetry is observed in any of the multiplicity classes. Both ${\rm K}^*(892)^0$ and $\phi(1020)$ show similar $Y_{\rm asym}$. The nuclear modification factor ($Q_{\rm CP}$) as a function of $p_{\rm T}$ shows a Cronin-like enhancement at intermediate $p_{\rm T}$, which is more prominent at higher rapidities (Pb-going direction) and in higher multiplicity classes. At high $p_{\rm T}$ (> 5 GeV/$c$), the $Q_{\rm CP}$ values are greater than unity and no significant rapidity dependence is observed.

The differential invariant yield as a function of transverse momentum ($p_\mathrm{T}$) of electrons from semileptonic heavy-flavour hadron decays was measured at midrapidity in central (0-10%), semi-central (30-50%) and peripheral (60-80%) lead-lead (Pb-Pb) collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}}=5.02\text{ TeV}$ in the $p_{\mathrm{T}}$ intervals 0.5-26 GeV/$c$ (0-10% and 30-50%) and 0.5-10 GeV/$c$ (60-80%). The production cross section in proton-proton (pp) collisions at $\sqrt{s}=5.02$ TeV was measured as well in $0.5<p_\mathrm{T}<10$ GeV/$c$ and it lies close to the upper band of perturbative QCD calculation uncertainties up to $p_\mathrm{T}=5$ GeV/$c$ and close to the mean value for larger $p_\mathrm{T}$. The modification of the electron yield with respect to what is expected for an incoherent superposition of nucleon-nucleon collisions is evaluated by measuring the nuclear modification factor $R_{\mathrm{AA}}$. The measurement of the $R_{\mathrm{AA}}$ in different centrality classes allows in-medium energy loss of charm and beauty quarks to be investigated. The $R_{\mathrm{AA}}$ shows a suppression with respect to unity at intermediate $p_\mathrm{T}$, which increases while moving towards more central collisions. Moreover, the measured $R_{\mathrm{AA}}$ is sensitive to the modification of the parton distribution functions (PDF) in nuclei, like nuclear shadowing, which causes a suppression of the heavy-quark production at low $p_\mathrm{T}$ in heavy-ion collisions at LHC.