Data on the mean multiplicity ofπ- produced in minimum bias proton-proton, proton-neutron and proton-nucleus interactions as well as central nucleus-nucleus collisions at momenta of 1.4–400 GeV/c per nucleon have been compiled and studied. The results for neutron-neutron and nucleon-nucleon interactions were then constructed. The dependence of the mean pion multiplicity in proton-nucleus interactions and central collisions of identical nuclei are studied as a function of the collision energy and the nucleus mass number. The number of produced pions per participant nucleon in central collisions of identical nuclei is found to be independent of the number of participants at a fixed incident momentum per nucleon. The mean multiplicity of negatively charged hadrons per participant nucleon for central nucleus-nucleus collisions is lower by about 0.12 than the corresponding multiplicity for nucleon-nucleon interactions atpLAB≲15 A·GeV/c, whereas the result at 200 A·GeV/c is above the corresponding nucleon-nucleon multiplicity. This may indicate change of the collision dynamics at high energy.

The study of (anti-)deuteron production in pp collisions has proven to be a powerful tool to investigate the formation mechanism of loosely bound states in high energy hadronic collisions. In this paper the production of (anti-)deuterons is studied as a function of the charged particle multiplicity in inelastic pp collisions at $\sqrt{s}=13$ TeV using the ALICE experiment. Thanks to the large number of accumulated minimum bias events, it has been possible to measure (anti-)deuteron production in pp collisions up to the same charged particle multiplicity ($\rm{d} N_{ch}/\rm{d}\eta\sim26$) as measured in p-Pb collisions at similar centre-of-mass energies. Within the uncertainties, the deuteron yield in pp collisions resembles the one in p-Pb interactions, suggesting a common formation mechanism behind the production of light nuclei in hadronic interactions. In this context the measurements are compared with the expectations of coalescence and Statistical Hadronisation Models (SHM).

Antiproton production cross sections have been measured for minimum bias and central Si+Al and Si+Au collisions at 14.6 A GeV c . The data presented cover the range of transverse momentum from 0.3 to 1.2 GeV c and lab rapidities from 1.1 to 1.7 units. The relative p π − and p K − yields are found to be the smallest for the heaviest system measured, central Si+Au collisions. For these collisions, the p π − ratio, determined from integrated yields for 1.1⩽ y ⩽1.7, is (0.84±0.07)×10 −3 . In the same rapidity interval, the average antiproton inverse m ⊥ slope is 141±14 MeV for central Si+Al and central Si+Au collisions.

The production cross sections of the prompt charmed mesons D$^0$, D$^+$, D$^{*+}$ and D$_s$ were measured at mid-rapidity in p-Pb collisions at a centre-of-mass energy per nucleon pair $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}=5.02$ TeV with the ALICE detector at the LHC. D mesons were reconstructed from their decays D$^0\rightarrow{\rm K}^-\pi^+$, D$^+\rightarrow{\rm K}^-\pi^+\pi^+$, D$^{*+}\rightarrow D^0\pi^+$, D$_s^+\rightarrow\phi\pi^+\rightarrow{\rm K}^-{\rm K}^+\pi^+$, and their charge conjugates. The $p_{\rm T}$-differential production cross sections were measured at mid-rapidity in the interval $1<p_{\rm T}<24$ GeV/$c$ for D$^0$, D$^+$ and D$^{*+}$ mesons and in $2<p_{\rm T}<12$ GeV/$c$ for D$_s$ mesons, using an analysis method based on the selection of decay topologies displaced from the interaction vertex. The production cross sections of the D$^0$, D$^+$ and D$^{*+}$ mesons were also measured in three $p_{\rm T}$ intervals as a function of the rapidity $y_{\rm cms}$ in the centre-of-mass system in $-1.26<y_{\rm cms}<0.34$. In addition, the prompt D$^0$ cross section was measured in pp collisions at $\sqrt{s}=7$ TeV and p-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}=5.02$ TeV down to $p_{\rm T}=0$ using an analysis technique that is based on the estimation and subtraction of the combinatorial background, without reconstruction of the D$^0$ decay vertex. The nuclear modification factor $R_{\rm pPb}(p_{\rm T})$, defined as the ratio of the $p_{\rm T}$-differential D-meson cross section in p-Pb collisions and that in pp collisions scaled by the mass number of the Pb nucleus, was calculated for the four D-meson species and found to be compatible with unity within experimental uncertainties. The results are compared to theoretical calculations that include cold-nuclear-matter effects and to transport model calculations incorporating the interactions of charm quarks with an expanding deconfined medium.

The production of the W$^\pm$ bosons measured in p$-$Pb collisions at a centre-of-mass energy per nucleon$-$nucleon collision $\sqrt{s_{NN}} = 8.16$ TeV and Pb$-$Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}} = 5.02$ TeV with ALICE at the LHC is presented. The W$^\pm$ bosons are measured via their muonic decay channel, with the muon reconstructed in the pseudorapidity region $-4 < \eta^\mu_{\rm lab} < -2.5$ with transverse momentum $p_{\rm T}^\mu > 10$ GeV/$c$. While in Pb$-$Pb collisions the measurements are performed in the forward ($2.5 < y^\mu_{\rm cms} < 4$) rapidity region, in p$-$Pb collisions, where the centre-of-mass frame is boosted with respect to the laboratory frame, the measurements are performed in the backward ($-4.46 < y^\mu_{\rm cms} < -2.96$) and forward ($2.03 < y^\mu_{\rm cms} < 3.53$) rapidity regions. The W$^{-}$ and W$^{+}$ production cross sections, lepton-charge asymmetry, and nuclear modification factors are evaluated as a function of the muon rapidity. In order to study the production as a function of the p$-$Pb collision centrality, the production cross sections of the W$^{-}$ and W$^{+}$ bosons are combined and normalised to the average number of binary nucleon$-$nucleon collision $\langle N_\mathrm{coll} \rangle$. In Pb$-$Pb collisions, the same measurements are presented as a function of the collision centrality. Study of the binary scaling of the W$^\pm$-boson cross sections in p$-$Pb and Pb$-$Pb collisions is also reported. The results are compared with perturbative QCD (pQCD) calculations, with and without nuclear modifications of the Parton Distribution Functions (PDFs), as well as with available data at the LHC. Significant deviations from the theory expectations are found in the two collision systems, indicating that the measurements can provide additional constraints for the determination of nuclear PDF (nPDFs) and in particular of the light-quark distributions.

This article reports measurements characterizing the Underlying Event (UE) associated with hard scatterings at midrapidity in pp collisions at $\sqrt{s}=13$ TeV. The hard scatterings are identified by the leading particle, the charged particle with the highest transverse momentum ($p_{\rm T}^{\rm leading}$) in the event. Charged-particle number and summed transverse-momentum densities are measured in different azimuthal regions defined with respect to the leading particle direction: Toward, Transverse, and Away. The Toward and Away regions contain the fragmentation products of the hard scatterings in addition to the UE contribution, whereas particles in the Transverse region are expected to originate predominantly from the UE. The study is performed as a function of $p_{\rm T}^{\rm leading}$ with three different $p_{\rm T}$ thresholds for the associated particles, $p_{\rm T}^{\rm min} >$ 0.15, 0.5, and 1.0 GeV/$c$. The charged-particle density in the Transverse region rises steeply for low values of $p_{\rm T}^{\rm leading}$ and reaches a plateau. The results confirm the trend that the charged-particle density in the Transverse region shows a stronger increase with $\sqrt{s}$ than the inclusive charged-particle density at midrapidity. The UE activity is increased by approximately 20% when going from 7 to 13 TeV. The plateau in the Transverse region ($5 < p_{\rm T}^{\rm leading} < ~ 40$ GeV/$c$ ) is further characterized by the probability distribution of its charged-particle multiplicity normalized to its average value (relative transverse activity, $R_{T}$) and the mean transverse momentum as a function of $R_{T}$. Experimental results are compared to model calculations using PYTHIA 8 and EPOS LHC. The overall agreement between models and data is within 30%. These measurements provide new insights on the interplay between hard scatterings and the associated UE in pp collisions.

The polarization of inclusive J/$\psi$ and $\Upsilon(1{\rm S})$ produced in Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm{NN}}}=5.02$ TeV at the LHC is measured with the ALICE detector. The study is carried out by reconstructing the quarkonium through its decay to muon pairs in the rapidity region $2.5<y<4$ and measuring the polar and azimuthal angular distributions of the muons. The polarization parameters $\lambda_{\theta}$, $\lambda_{\phi}$ and $\lambda_{\theta\phi}$ are measured in the helicity and Collins-Soper reference frames, in the transverse momentum interval $2<p_{\rm T}<10$ GeV/$c$ and $p_{\rm T}<15$ GeV/$c$ for the J/$\psi$ and $\Upsilon(1{\rm S})$, respectively. The polarization parameters for the J/$\psi$ are found to be compatible with zero, within a maximum of about two standard deviations at low $p_{\rm T}$, for both reference frames and over the whole $p_{\rm T}$ range. The values are compared with the corresponding results obtained for pp collisions at $\sqrt{s}=7$ and 8 TeV in a similar kinematic region by the ALICE and LHCb experiments. Although with much larger uncertainties, the polarization parameters for $\Upsilon(1{\rm S})$ production in Pb-Pb collisions are also consistent with zero.

The first measurement of e$^+$e$^-$ pair production at mid-rapidity ($|\eta_{{\rm e}}|$ $<$ 0.8) in pp collisions at $\sqrt{s} = 7$ TeV with ALICE at the LHC is presented. The dielectron production is studied as a function of the invariant mass ($m_{\rm ee}$ $<$ 3.3 GeV/$c^{2}$), the pair transverse momentum ($p_{\rm T,ee}$ $<$ 8 GeV/$c$), and the pair transverse impact parameter (DCA$_{{\rm ee}}$), i.e., the average distance of closest approach of the reconstructed electron and positron tracks to the collision vertex, normalised to its resolution. The results are compared with the expectations from a cocktail of known hadronic sources and are well described when PYTHIA is used to generate the heavy-flavour contributions. In the low-mass region (0.14 $<$ $m_{\rm ee}$ $<$ 1.1 GeV/$c^{2}$), prompt and non-prompt e$^+$e$^-$ sources can be separated via the DCA$_{\rm ee}$. In the intermediate-mass region (1.1 $<$ $m_{\rm ee}$ $<$ 2.7 GeV/$c^{2}$), a double-differential fit to the data in $m_{\rm ee}$ and $p_{\rm T,ee}$ and a fit of the DCA$_{\rm ee}$ distribution allow the total ${\rm c\overline c}$ and ${\rm b\overline b}$ cross sections to be extracted. Two different event generators, PYTHIA and POWHEG, can reproduce the shape of the two-dimensional $m_{\rm ee}$ and $p_{\rm T,ee}$ spectra, as well as the shape of the DCA$_{\rm ee}$ distribution, reasonably well. However, differences in the ${\rm c\overline c}$ and ${\rm b\overline b}$ cross sections are observed when using the generators to extrapolate to full phase space. Finally, the ratio of inclusive to decay photons is studied via the measurement of virtual direct photons in the transverse-momentum range 1 $<$ $p_{\rm T}$ $<$ 8 GeV/$c$. This is found to be unity within the statistical and systematic uncertainties and consistent with expectations from next-to-leading order perturbative quantum chromodynamic calculations.

The $p_{\rm T}$-differential production cross section of prompt $\Lambda_{\rm c}^+$ charmed baryons was measured with the ALICE detector at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in pp collisions at $\sqrt{s} = 7$ TeV and in p-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}} = 5.02$ TeV at midrapidity. The $\Lambda_{\rm c}^+$ and ${\overline{\Lambda}}_{\rm c}^-$ were reconstructed in the hadronic decay modes $\Lambda_{\rm c}^+\rightarrow {\rm p}{\rm K^-}\pi^+$, $\Lambda_{\rm c}^+\rightarrow {\rm p}{\rm K_{\rm S}^0}$ and in the semileptonic channel $\Lambda_{\rm c}^+\rightarrow {\rm e^+}\nu_{\rm e}\Lambda$ (and charge conjugates). The measured values of the $\Lambda_{\rm c}^+/{\rm D_0}$ ratio, which is sensitive to the c-quark hadronisation mechanism, and in particular to the production of baryons, are presented and are larger than those measured previously in different colliding systems, centre-of-mass energies, rapidity and $p_{\rm T}$ intervals, where the $\Lambda_{\rm c}^+$ production process may differ. The results are compared with the expectations obtained from perturbative Quantum Chromodynamics calculations and Monte Carlo event generators. Neither perturbative QCD calculations nor Monte Carlo models reproduce the data, indicating that the fragmentation of heavy-flavour baryons is not well understood. The first measurement at the LHC of the $\Lambda_{\rm c}^+$ nuclear modification factor, $R_{\rm pPb}$, is also presented. The $R_{\rm pPb}$ is found to be consistent with unity and with that of D mesons within the uncertainties, and consistent with a theoretical calculation that includes cold nuclear matter effects and a calculation that includes charm quark interactions with a deconfined medium.

Measurement of Z-boson production in p-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}}=8.16$ TeV and Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}}=5.02$ TeV is reported. It is performed in the dimuon decay channel, through the detection of muons with pseudorapidity $-4 < \eta_{\mu} < -2.5$ and transverse momentum $p_{\rm T}^{\mu} > 20$ GeV/$c$ in the laboratory frame. The invariant yield and nuclear modification factor are measured for opposite-sign dimuons with invariant mass $60 < m^{\mu\mu} < 120$ GeV$c^2$ and rapidity $2.5 < y_{cms}^{\mu\mu} < 4$. They are presented as a function of rapidity and, for the Pb-Pb collisions, of centrality as well. The results are compared with theoretical calculations, both with and without nuclear modifications to the Parton Distribution Functions (PDFs). In p-Pb collisions the center-of-mass frame is boosted with respect to the laboratory frame, and the measurements cover the backward ($-4.46< y_{cms}^{\mu\mu}<-2.96$) and forward ($2.03< y_{cms}^{\mu\mu}<3.53$) rapidity regions. For the p-Pb collisions, the results are consistent within experimental and theoretical uncertainties with calculations that include both free-nucleon and nuclear-modified PDFs. For the Pb-Pb collisions, a $3.4\sigma$ deviation is seen in the integrated yield between the data and calculations based on the free-nucleon PDFs, while good agreement is found once nuclear modifications are considered.

At sufficiently high temperature and energy density, nuclear matter undergoes a transition to a phase in which quarks and gluons are not confined: the Quark-Gluon Plasma (QGP) [1]. Such an extreme state of strongly-interacting QCD (Quantum Chromo-Dynamics) matter is produced in the laboratory with high-energy collisions of heavy nuclei, where an enhanced production of strange hadrons is observed [2-6]. Strangeness enhancement, originally proposed as a signature of QGP formation in nuclear collisions [7], is more pronounced for multi-strange baryons. Several effects typical of heavy-ion phenomenology have been observed in high-multiplicity proton-proton (pp) collisions [8,9]. Yet, enhanced production of multi-strange particles has not been reported so far. Here we present the first observation of strangeness enhancement in high-multiplicity pp collisions. We find that the integrated yields of strange and multi-strange particles relative to pions increases significantly with the event charged-particle multiplicity. The measurements are in remarkable agreement with p-Pb collision results [10,11] indicating that the phenomenon is related to the final system created in the collision. In high-multiplicity events strangeness production reaches values similar to those observed in Pb-Pb collisions, where a QGP is formed.

This Letter presents the first direct investigation of the p-$\Sigma^{0}$ interaction, using the femtoscopy technique in high-multiplicity pp collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV measured by the ALICE detector. The $\Sigma^{0}$ is reconstructed via the decay channel to $\Lambda \gamma$, and the subsequent decay of $\Lambda$ to p$\pi^-$. The photon is detected via the conversion in material to e$^{+}$e$^{-}$ pairs exploiting the unique capability of the ALICE detector to measure electrons at low transverse momenta. The measured p-$\Sigma^{0}$ correlation indicates a shallow strong interaction. The comparison of the data to several theoretical predictions obtained employing the $Correlation~Analysis~Tool~using~the~Schr\"odinger~Equation$ (CATS) and the Lednick\'y-Lyuboshits approach shows that the current experimental precision does not yet allow to discriminate between different models, as it is the case for the available scattering and hypernuclei data. Nevertheless, the p-$\Sigma^{0}$ correlation function is found to be sensitive to the strong interaction, and driven by the interplay of the different spin and isospin channels. This pioneering study demonstrates the feasibility of a femtoscopic measurement in the p-$\Sigma^{0}$ channel and with the expected larger data samples in LHC Run 3 and Run 4, the p-$\Sigma^{0}$ interaction will be constrained with high precision.

Deuteron production in high-energy collisions is sensitive to the space-time evolution of the collision system, and is typically described by a coalescence mechanism. For the first time, we present results on jet-associated deuteron production in \pp collisions at $\sqrt{s}=13$ TeV, providing an opportunity to test the established picture for deuteron production in events with a hard scattering. Using a trigger particle with high transverse-momentum ($p_{\rm T}>5$ GeV/$c$) as a proxy for the presence of a jet at midrapidity, we observe a measurable population of deuterons being produced around the jet proxy. The associated deuteron yield measured in a narrow angular range around the trigger particle differs by 2.4-4.8 standard deviations from the uncorrelated background. The data are described by PYTHIA model calculations featuring baryon coalescence.

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.

The invariant differential cross section of inclusive $\omega(782)$ meson production at midrapidity ($|y|<0.5$) in pp collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 7 TeV was measured with the ALICE detector at the LHC over a transverse momentum range of 2 < $p_{\rm{T}}$ < 17 GeV/$c$. The $\omega$ meson was reconstructed via its $\omega\rightarrow\pi^+\pi^-\pi^0$ decay channel. The measured $\omega$ production cross section is compared to various calculations: PYTHIA 8.2 Monash 2013 describes the data, while PYTHIA 8.2 Tune 4C overestimates the data by about 50%. A recent NLO calculation, which includes a model describing the fragmentation of the whole vector-meson nonet, describes the data within uncertainties below 6 GeV/$c$, while it overestimates the data by up to 50% for higher $p_{\rm{T}}$. The $\omega/\pi^0$ ratio is in agreement with previous measurements at lower collision energies and the PYTHIA calculations. In addition, the measurement is compatible with transverse mass scaling within the measured $p_{\rm{T}}$ range and the ratio is constant with $C^{\omega/\pi^{0}}$ = 0.67 $\pm$ 0.03 (stat) $\pm$ 0.04 (sys) above a transverse momentum of 2.5 GeV/$c$.

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.

We present the results of three-dimensional femtoscopic analyses for charged and neutral kaons recorded by ALICE in Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm{NN}}}$ = 2.76 TeV. Femtoscopy is used to measure the space-time characteristics of particle production from the effects of quantum statistics and final-state interactions in two-particle correlations. Kaon femtoscopy is an important supplement to that of pions because it allows one to distinguish between different model scenarios working equally well for pions. In particular, we compare the measured 3D kaon radii with a purely hydrodynamical calculation and a model where the hydrodynamic phase is followed by a hadronic rescattering stage. The former predicts an approximate transverse mass ($m_{\mathrm{T}}$) scaling of source radii obtained from pion and kaon correlations. This $m_{\mathrm{T}}$ scaling appears to be broken in our data, which indicates the importance of the hadronic rescattering phase at LHC energies. A $k_{\mathrm{T}}$ scaling of pion and kaon source radii is observed instead. The time of maximal emission of the system is estimated using the three-dimensional femtoscopic analysis for kaons. The measured emission time is larger than that of pions. Our observation is well supported by the hydrokinetic model predictions.

The azimuthal correlations of D mesons and charged particles were measured with the ALICE detector in pp collisions at $\sqrt{s}=7$ TeV and p-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}=5.02$ TeV at the Large Hadron Collider. D$^0$, D$^+$, and D$^{*+}$ mesons and their charge conjugates with transverse momentum $3<p_{\rm T}<16$ GeV/$c$ and rapidity in the nucleon-nucleon centre-of-mass system $|y_{\rm cms}|<0.5$ (pp collisions) and $-0.96<y_{\rm cms}<0.04$ (p-Pb collisions) were correlated to charged particles with $p_{\rm T}>0.3$ Gev/$c$. The properties of the correlation peak induced by the jet containing the D meson, described in terms of the yield of charged particles in the peak and peak width, are compatible within uncertainties between the two collision systems, and described by Monte-Carlo simulations based on the PYTHIA, POWHEG and EPOS 3 event generators.

We report the results of the femtoscopic analysis of pairs of identical pions measured in p-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}}=5.02$ TeV. Femtoscopic radii are determined as a function of event multiplicity and pair momentum in three spatial dimensions. As in the pp collision system, the analysis is complicated by the presence of sizable background correlation structures in addition to the femtoscopic signal. The radii increase with event multiplicity and decrease with pair transverse momentum. When taken at comparable multiplicity, the radii measured in p-Pb collisions, at high multiplicity and low pair transverse momentum, are 10-20% higher than those observed in pp collisions but below those observed in A-A collisions. The results are compared to hydrodynamic predictions at large event multiplicity as well as discussed in the context of calculations based on gluon saturation.

The ALICE measurement of K$^0_{\rm S}$ and $\rm\Lambda$ production at mid-rapidity in Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}} = 2.76$ TeV is presented. The transverse momentum ($p_{\rm T}$) spectra are shown for several collision centrality intervals and in the $p_{\rm T}$ range from 0.4 GeV/$c$ (0.6 GeV/$c$ for $\rm\Lambda$) to 12 GeV/$c$. The $p_{\rm T}$ dependence of the $\rm \Lambda$/K$^0_{\rm S}$ ratios exhibits maxima in the vicinity of 3 GeV/$c$, and the positions of the maxima shift towards higher $p_{\rm T}$ with increasing collision centrality. The magnitude of these maxima increases by almost a factor of three between most peripheral and most central Pb-Pb collisions. This baryon excess at intermediate $p_{\rm T}$ is not observed in pp interactions at sqrt(s) = 0.9 TeV and at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV. Qualitatively, the baryon enhancement in heavy-ion collisions is expected from radial flow. However, the measured $p_{\rm T}$ spectra above 2 GeV/$c$ progressively decouple from hydrodynamical-model calculations. For higher values of $p_{\rm T}$, models that incorporate the influence of the medium on the fragmentation and hadronization processes describe qualitatively the $p_{\rm T}$ dependence of the $\rm\Lambda$/K$^0_{\rm S}$ ratio.

The multi-strange baryon yields in Pb--Pb collisions have been shown to exhibit an enhancement relative to pp reactions. In this work, $\Xi$ and $\Omega$ production rates have been measured with the ALICE experiment as a function of transverse momentum, ${p_{\rm T}}$, in p-Pb collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of ${\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}}$ = 5.02 TeV. The results cover the kinematic ranges 0.6 GeV/$c<{p_{\rm T}} <$7.2 GeV/$c$ and 0.8 GeV/$c<{p_{\rm T}}<$ 5 GeV/$c$, for $\Xi$ and $\Omega$ respectively, in the common rapidity interval -0.5 $<{y_{\rm CMS}}<$ 0. Multi-strange baryons have been identified by reconstructing their weak decays into charged particles. The ${p_{\rm T}}$ spectra are analysed as a function of event charged-particle multiplicity, which in p-Pb collisions ranges over one order of magnitude and lies between those observed in pp and Pb-Pb collisions. The measured ${p_{\rm T}}$ distributions are compared to the expectations from a Blast-Wave model. The parameters which describe the production of lighter hadron species also describe the hyperon spectra in high multiplicity p-Pb. The yield of hyperons relative to charged pions is studied and compared with results from pp and Pb-Pb collisions. A statistical model is employed, which describes the change in the ratios with volume using a canonical suppression mechanism, in which the small volume causes a species-dependent relative reduction of hadron production. The calculations, in which the magnitude of the effect depends on the strangeness content, show good qualitative agreement with the data.

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.

We report on the inclusive production cross sections of J/$\psi$, $\psi$(2S), $\Upsilon$(1S), $\Upsilon$(2S) and $\Upsilon$(3S), measured at forward rapidity with the ALICE detector in pp collisions at a center-of-mass energy $\sqrt{s}=8$ TeV. The analysis is based on data collected at the LHC and corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 1.28 pb$^{-1}$. Quarkonia are reconstructed in the dimuon-decay channel. The differential production cross sections are measured as a function of the transverse momentum $p_{\rm T}$ and rapidity $y$, over the $p_{\rm T}$ ranges $0<p_{\rm T}<20$ GeV/$c$ for J/$\psi$, $0<p_{\rm T}<12$ GeV/$c$ for all other resonances, and for $2.5<y<4$. The cross sections, integrated over $p_{\rm T}$ and $y$, and assuming unpolarized quarkonia, are $\sigma_{{\rm J}/\psi} = 8.98\pm0.04\pm0.82$ $\mu$b, $\sigma_{\psi{\rm (2S)}} = 1.23\pm0.08\pm0.22$ $\mu$b, $\sigma_{\Upsilon{\rm(1S)}} = 71\pm6\pm7$ nb, $\sigma_{\Upsilon{\rm(2S)}} = 26\pm5\pm4$ nb and $\sigma_{\Upsilon{\rm(3S)}} = 9\pm4\pm1$ nb, where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second one is systematic. These values agree, within at most $1.4\sigma$, with measurements performed by the LHCb collaboration in the same rapidity range.

Measurements of multi-particle azimuthal correlations (cumulants) for charged particles in p-Pb and Pb-Pb collisions are presented. They help address the question of whether there is evidence for global, flow-like, azimuthal correlations in the p-Pb system. Comparisons are made to measurements from the larger Pb-Pb system, where such evidence is established. In particular, the second harmonic two-particle cumulants are found to decrease with multiplicity, characteristic of a dominance of few-particle correlations in p-Pb collisions. However, when a $|\Delta \eta|$ gap is placed to suppress such correlations, the two-particle cumulants begin to rise at high-multiplicity, indicating the presence of global azimuthal correlations. The Pb-Pb values are higher than the p-Pb values at similar multiplicities. In both systems, the second harmonic four-particle cumulants exhibit a transition from positive to negative values when the multiplicity increases. The negative values allow for a measurement of $v_{2}\{4\}$ to be made, which is found to be higher in Pb-Pb collisions at similar multiplicities. The second harmonic six-particle cumulants are also found to be higher in Pb-Pb collisions. In Pb-Pb collisions, we generally find $v_{2}\{4\} \simeq v_{2}\{6\}\neq 0$ which is indicative of a Bessel-Gaussian function for the $v_{2}$ distribution. For very high-multiplicity Pb-Pb collisions, we observe that the four- and six-particle cumulants become consistent with 0. Finally, third harmonic two-particle cumulants in p-Pb and Pb-Pb are measured. These are found to be similar for overlapping multiplicities, when a $|\Delta\eta| > 1.4$ gap is placed.

A detailed study of pseudorapidity densities and multiplicity distributions of primary charged particles produced in proton-proton collisions, at $\sqrt{s} =$ 0.9, 2.36, 2.76, 7 and 8 TeV, in the pseudorapidity range $|\eta|<2$, was carried out using the ALICE detector. Measurements were obtained for three event classes: inelastic, non-single diffractive and events with at least one charged particle in the pseudorapidity interval $|\eta|<1$. The use of an improved track-counting algorithm combined with ALICE's measurements of diffractive processes allows a higher precision compared to our previous publications. A KNO scaling study was performed in the pseudorapidity intervals $|\eta|<$ 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5. The data are compared to other experimental results and to models as implemented in Monte Carlo event generators PHOJET and recent tunes of PYTHIA6, PYTHIA8 and EPOS.

The first measurements of anisotropic flow coefficients $v_{\rm{n}}$ for mid-rapidity charged particles in Xe-Xe collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm{NN}}} = 5.44$ TeV are presented. Comparing these measurements to those from Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm{NN}}} = 5.02$ TeV, $v_{2}$ is found to be suppressed for mid-central collisions at the same centrality, and enhanced for central collisions. The values of $v_{3}$ are generally larger in Xe-Xe than in Pb-Pb at a given centrality. These observations are consistent with expectations from hydrodynamic predictions. When both $v_{2}$ and $v_{3}$ are divided by their corresponding eccentricities for a variety of initial state models, they generally scale with transverse density when comparing Xe-Xe and Pb-Pb, with some deviations observed in central Xe-Xe and Pb-Pb collisions. These results assist in placing strong constraints on both the initial state geometry and medium response for relativistic heavy-ion collisions.

In this letter, the production of deuterons and anti-deuterons in pp collisions at $\sqrt{s} = 7$ TeV is studied as a function of the charged-particle multiplicity density at mid-rapidity with the ALICE detector at the LHC. Production yields are measured at mid-rapidity in five multiplicity classes and as a function of the deuteron transverse momentum ($p_{\rm{T}}$). The measurements are discussed in the context of hadron-coalescence models. The coalescence parameter $B_{2}$, extracted from the measured spectra of (anti-)deuterons and primary (anti-)protons, exhibits no significant $p_{\rm{T}}$-dependence for $p_{\rm{T}} < 3$ GeV/$c$, in agreement with the expectations of a simple coalescence picture. At fixed transverse momentum per nucleon, the $B_{2}$ parameter is found to decrease smoothly from low multiplicity pp Pb-Pb collisions, in qualitative agreement with more elaborate coalescence models. The measured mean transverse momentum of (anti-)deuterons in pp is not reproduced by the Blast-Wave model calculations that simultaneously describe pion, kaon and proton spectra, in contrast to central Pb-Pb collisions. The ratio between the $p_{\rm{T}}$-integrated yield of deuterons to protons, d/p, is found to increase with the charged-particle multiplicity, as observed in inelastic pp collisions at different centre-of-mass energies. The d/p ratios are reported in a wide range, from the lowest to the highest multiplicity values measured in pp collisions at the LHC.

The cross section of jets reconstructed from charged particles is measured in the transverse momentum range of $5<p_\mathrm{T}<100\ \mathrm{GeV}/c$ in pp collisions at the center-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s} = 5.02\ \mathrm{TeV}$ with the ALICE detector. The jets are reconstructed using the anti-$k_\mathrm{T}$ algorithm with resolution parameters $R=0.2$, $0.3$, $0.4$, and $0.6$ in the pseudorapidity range $|\eta|< 0.9-R$. The charged jet cross sections are compared with the leading order (LO) and to next-to-leading order (NLO) perturbative Quantum ChromoDynamics (pQCD) calculations. It was found that the NLO calculations agree better with the measurements. The cross section ratios for different resolution parameters were also measured. These ratios increase from low $p_\mathrm{T}$ to high $p_\mathrm{T}$ and saturate at high $p_\mathrm{T}$, indicating that jet collimation is larger at high $p_\mathrm{T}$ than at low $p_\mathrm{T}$. These results provide a precision test of pQCD predictions and serve as a baseline for the measurement in Pb$-$Pb collisions at the same energy to quantify the effects of the hot and dense medium created in heavy-ion collisions at the LHC.

Charged-particle spectra at midrapidity are measured in Pb-Pb collisions at the centre-of-mass energy per nucleon-nucleon pair $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}$ = 5.02 TeV and presented in centrality classes ranging from most central (0-5%) to most peripheral (95-100%) collisions. Possible medium effects are quantified using the nuclear modification factor ($R_{\rm AA}$) by comparing the measured spectra with those from proton-proton collisions, scaled by the number of independent nucleon-nucleon collisions obtained from a Glauber model. At large transverse momenta ($8<p_{\rm T}<20$ GeV/$c$), the average $R_{\rm AA}$ is found to increase from about $0.15$ in 0-5% central to a maximum value of about $0.8$ in 75-85% peripheral collisions, beyond which it falls off strongly to below $0.2$ for the most peripheral collisions. Furthermore, $R_{\rm AA}$ initially exhibits a positive slope as a function of $p_{\rm T}$ in the $8$-$20$ GeV/$c$ interval, while for collisions beyond the 80% class the slope is negative. To reduce uncertainties related to event selection and normalization, we also provide the ratio of $R_{\rm AA}$ in adjacent centrality intervals. Our results in peripheral collisions are consistent with a PYTHIA-based model without nuclear modification, demonstrating that biases caused by the event selection and collision geometry can lead to the apparent suppression in peripheral collisions. This explains the unintuitive observation that $R_{\rm AA}$ is below unity in peripheral Pb-Pb, but equal to unity in minimum-bias p-Pb collisions despite similar charged-particle multiplicities.

We report on the measurement of the size of the particle-emitting source from two-baryon correlations with ALICE in high-multiplicity pp collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV. The source radius is studied with low relative momentum p-p, $\bar{\rm{p}}$-$\bar{\rm{p}}$, p-$\Lambda$ and $\bar{\rm{p}}$-$\bar{\Lambda}$ pairs as a function of the pair transverse mass $m_{\rm{T}}$ considering for the first time in a quantitative way the effect of strong resonance decays. After correcting for this effect, the radii extracted for pairs of different particle species agree. This indicates that protons, antiprotons, $\Lambda$, and $\bar{\Lambda}$ originate from the same source. Within the measured $m_{\rm{T}}$ range (1.1-2.2) GeV/$c^{2}$ the invariant radius of this common source varies between 0.85 and 1.3 fm. These results provide a precise reference for studies of the strong hadron-hadron interactions and for the investigation of collective properties in small colliding systems.

The first experimental information on the strong interaction between $\Lambda$ and $\Xi^-$ strange baryons is presented in this Letter. The correlation function of $\Lambda-\Xi^-$ and $\overline{\Lambda}-\overline{\Xi}^{+}$ pairs produced in high-multiplicity proton-proton (pp) collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV at the LHC is measured as a function of the relative momentum of the pair. The femtoscopy method is used to calculate the correlation function, which is then compared with theoretical expectations obtained using a meson exchange model, chiral effective field theory, and Lattice QCD calculations close to the physical point. Data support predictions of small scattering parameters while discarding versions with large ones, thus suggesting a weak $\Lambda-\Xi^{-}$ interaction. The limited statistical significance of the data does not yet allow one to constrain the effects of coupled channels like $\Sigma-\Xi$ and N$-\Omega$.

The measurement of the production of ${\rm f}_{0}(980)$ in inelastic pp collisions at $\sqrt{s} = 5.02$ TeV is presented. This is the first reported measurement of inclusive ${\rm f}_{0}(980)$ yield at LHC energies. The production is measured at midrapidity, $|y| < 0.5$, in a wide transverse momentum range, $0 < p_{\rm T} < 16$ GeV/$c$, by reconstructing the resonance in the ${\rm f}_{0}(980) \rightarrow \pi^{+}\pi^{-}$ hadronic decay channel using the ALICE detector. The $p_{\rm T}$-differential yields are compared to those of pions, protons and $\phi$ mesons as well as to predictions from the HERWIG 7.2 QCD-inspired Monte Carlo event generator and calculations from a coalescence model that uses the AMPT model as an input. The ratio of the $p_{\rm T}$-integrated yield of ${\rm f}_{0}(980)$ relative to pions is compared to measurements in ${\rm e}^{+}{\rm e}^{-}$ and pp collisions at lower energies and predictions from statistical hadronisation models and HERWIG 7.2. A mild collision energy dependence of the ${\rm f}_{0}(980)$ to pion production is observed in pp collisions from SPS to LHC energies. All considered models underpredict the $p_{\rm T}$-integrated $2{\rm f}_{0}(980)/(\pi^{+}+\pi^{-})$ ratio. The prediction from the canonical statistical hadronisation model assuming a zero total strangeness content of ${\rm f}_{0}(980)$ is consistent with the data within 1.9$\sigma$ and is the closest to the data. The results provide an essential reference for future measurements of the particle yield and nuclear modification in p$-$Pb and Pb$-$Pb collisions, which have been proposed to be instrumental to probe the elusive nature and quark composition of the ${\rm f}_{0}(980)$ scalar meson.

$\Upsilon$ production in p-Pb interactions is studied at the centre-of-mass energy per nucleon-nucleon collision $\sqrt{s_{\rm{NN}}}$ = 8.16 TeV with the ALICE detector at the CERN LHC. The measurement is performed reconstructing bottomonium resonances via their dimuon decay channel, in the centre-of-mass rapidity intervals $2.03 < y_{\rm{cms}} < 3.53$ and $-4.46 < y_{\rm{cms}} < -2.96$, down to zero transverse momentum. In this work, results on the inclusive $\Upsilon(1\rm{S})$ production cross section as a function of rapidity and transverse momentum are presented. The corresponding nuclear modification factor shows a suppression of the $\Upsilon(1\rm{S})$ yields with respect to pp collisions, both at forward and backward rapidity. This suppression is stronger in the low transverse momentum region and shows no significant dependence on the centrality of the interactions. Furthermore, the $\Upsilon(2\rm{S})$ nuclear modification factor is also evaluated, suggesting a suppression similar to that of the $\Upsilon(1\rm{S})$. A first measurement of the $\Upsilon(3\rm{S})$ has also been performed. Finally, results are compared with previous measurements performed by ALICE in p-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm{NN}}}$ = 5.02 TeV and with theoretical calculations.

The first results on K$^{*}$(892)$^{\mathrm{\pm}}$ resonance production in inelastic pp collisions at LHC energies of $\sqrt{s} = 5.02$, 8, and 13 TeV are presented. The K$^{*}$(892)$^{\mathrm{\pm}}$ has been reconstructed via its hadronic decay channel K$^{*}$(892)$^{\mathrm{\pm}}$$\rightarrow$$\mathrm {K^0_S}$$~+~\pi^{\pm}$ with the ALICE detector. Measurements of transverse momentum distributions, $p_{\mathrm{T}}$-integrated yields, and mean transverse momenta for charged K$^{*}$(892) are found to be consistent with previous ALICE measurements for neutral K$^{*}$(892) within uncertainties. For $p_{\mathrm{T}} > 1$ GeV/$c$ the K$^{*}$(892)$^{\mathrm{\pm}}$ transverse momentum spectra become harder with increasing centre-of-mass energy from 5.02 to 13 TeV, similar to what previously observed for charged kaons and pions. For $p_{\mathrm{T}} < 1$ GeV/$c$ the K$^{*}$(892)$^{\mathrm{\pm}}$ yield does not evolve significantly and the abundance of K$^{*}$(892)$^{\mathrm{\pm}}$ relative to K is rather independent of the collision energy. The transverse momentum spectra, measured for K$^{*}$(892)$^{\mathrm{\pm}}$ at midrapidity in the interval $0 < p_{\mathrm{T}} < 15$ GeV/$c$, are not well described by predictions of different versions of PYTHIA 6, PYTHIA 8 and EPOS-LHC event generators. These generators reproduce the measured $p_{\mathrm{T}}$-integrated K$^{*\mathrm{\pm}}$/K ratios and describe well the momentum dependence for $p_{\mathrm{T}} < 2$ GeV/$c$.

The production of beauty hadrons was measured via semi-leptonic decays at mid-rapidity with the ALICE detector at the LHC in the transverse momentum interval $1<p_{\rm T}<8$ GeV/$c$ in minimum-bias p-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}=5.02$ TeV and in $1.3<p_{\rm T}<8$ GeV/$c$ in the 20% most central Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}=2.76$ TeV. The pp reference spectra at $\sqrt{s}=5.02$ TeV and $\sqrt{s}=2.76$ TeV, needed for the calculation of the nuclear modification factors $R_{\rm pPb}$ and $R_{\rm PbPb}$, were obtained by a pQCD-driven scaling of the cross section of electrons from beauty-hadron decays measured at $\sqrt{s}=7$ TeV. In the $p_{\rm T}$ interval $3<p_{\rm T}<8$ GeV/$c$ a suppression of the yield of electrons from beauty-hadron decays is observed in Pb-Pb compared to pp collisions. Towards lower $p_{\rm T}$, the $R_{\rm PbPb}$ values increase with large systematic uncertainties. The $R_{\rm pPb}$ is consistent with unity within systematic uncertainties and is well described by theoretical calculations that include cold nuclear matter effects in p-Pb collisions. The measured $R_{\rm pPb}$ and these calculations indicate that cold nuclear matter effects are small at high transverse momentum also in Pb-Pb collisions. Therefore, the observed reduction of $R_{\rm PbPb}$ below unity at high $p_{\rm T}$ may be ascribed to an effect of the hot and dense medium formed in Pb-Pb collisions.

The inclusive production cross sections at forward rapidity of J/$\psi$, $\psi$(2S), $\Upsilon$(1S) and $\Upsilon$(2S) are measured in pp collisions at $\sqrt{s} = 7$ TeV with the ALICE detector at the LHC. The analysis is based in a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.35 pb$^{-1}$. Quarkonia are reconstructed in the dimuon-decay channel and the signal yields are evaluated by fitting the $\mu^+\mu^-$ invariant mass distributions. The differential production cross sections are measured as a function of the transverse momentum $p_{\rm T}$ and rapidity $y$, over the ranges $0 < p_{\rm T} < 20$ GeV/$c$ for J/$\psi$, $0 < p_{\rm T} < 12$ GeV/$c$ for all other resonances and for $2.5 < y < 4$. The measured cross sections integrated over $p_{\rm T}$ and $y$, and assuming unpolarized quarkonia, are: $\sigma_{J/\psi} = 6.69 \pm 0.04 \pm 0.63$ $\mu$b, $\sigma_{\psi^{\prime}} = 1.13 \pm 0.07 \pm 0.14$ $\mu$b, $\sigma_{\Upsilon{\rm(1S)}} = 54.2 \pm 5.0 \pm 6.7$ nb and $\sigma_{\Upsilon{\rm (2S)}} = 18.4 \pm 3.7 \pm 2.2$ nb, where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second one is systematic. The results are compared to measurements performed by other LHC experiments and to theoretical models.

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.

Three- and four-pion Bose-Einstein correlations are presented in pp, p-Pb, and Pb-Pb collisions at the LHC. We compare our measured four-pion correlations to the expectation derived from two- and three-pion measurements. Such a comparison provides a method to search for coherent pion emission. We also present mixed-charge correlations in order to demonstrate the effectiveness of several analysis procedures such as Coulomb corrections. Same-charge four-pion correlations in pp and p-Pb appear consistent with the expectations from three-pion measurements. However, the presence of non-negligible background correlations in both systems prevent a conclusive statement. In Pb-Pb collisions, we observe a significant suppression of three- and four-pion Bose-Einstein correlations compared to expectations from two-pion measurements. There appears to be no centrality dependence of the suppression within the 0-50% centrality interval. The origin of the suppression is not clear. However, by postulating either coherent pion emission or large multibody Coulomb effects, the suppression may be explained.

Inclusive J/$\psi$ production has been studied with the ALICE detector in p-Pb collisions at the nucleon-nucleon center of mass energy $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}$ = 5.02 TeV at the CERN LHC. The measurement is performed in the center of mass rapidity domains $2.03<y_{\rm cms}<3.53$ and $-4.46<y_{\rm cms}<-2.96$, down to zero transverse momentum, studying the $\mu^+\mu^-$ decay mode. In this paper, the J/$\psi$ production cross section and the nuclear modification factor $R_{\rm pPb}$ for the rapidities under study are presented. While at forward rapidity, corresponding to the proton direction, a suppression of the J/$\psi$ yield with respect to binary-scaled pp collisions is observed, in the backward region no suppression is present. The ratio of the forward and backward yields is also measured differentially in rapidity and transverse momentum. Theoretical predictions based on nuclear shadowing, as well as on models including, in addition, a contribution from partonic energy loss, are in fair agreement with the experimental results.

The strength of forward-backward (FB) multiplicity correlations is measured by the ALICE detector in proton-proton (pp) collisions at $\sqrt{s}=0.9$, 2.76 and 7 TeV. The measurement is performed in the central pseudorapidity region ($|\eta| < 0.8$) for the transverse momentum $p_{\rm T}>0.3$ GeV/$c$. Two separate pseudorapidity windows of width ($\delta \eta$) ranging from 0.2 to 0.8 are chosen symmetrically around $\eta=0$. The multiplicity correlation strength ($b_{\rm cor}$) is studied as a function of the pseudorapidity gap ($\eta_{\rm gap}$) between the two windows as well as the width of these windows. The correlation strength is found to decrease with increasing $\eta_{\rm gap}$ and shows a non-linear increase with $\delta\eta$. A sizable increase of the correlation strength with the collision energy, which cannot be explained exclusively by the increase of the mean multiplicity inside the windows, is observed. The correlation coefficient is also measured for multiplicities in different configurations of two azimuthal sectors selected within the symmetric FB $\eta$-windows. Two different contributions, the short-range (SR) and the long-range (LR), are observed. The energy dependence of $b_{\rm cor}$ is found to be weak for the SR component while it is strong for the LR component. Moreover, the correlation coefficient is studied for particles belonging to various transverse momentum intervals chosen to have the same mean multiplicity. Both SR and LR contributions to $b_{\rm cor}$ are found to increase with $p_{\rm T}$ in this case. Results are compared to PYTHIA and PHOJET event generators and to a string-based phenomenological model. The observed dependencies of $b_{\rm cor}$ add new constraints on phenomenological models.

The differential charged jet cross sections, jet fragmentation distributions, and jet shapes are measured in minimum bias proton-proton collisions at centre-of-mass energy $\sqrt{s}=7$ TeV using the ALICE detector at the LHC. Jets are reconstructed from charged particle momenta in the mid-rapidity region using the sequential recombination $k_{\rm T}$ and anti-$k_{\rm T}$ as well as the SISCone jet finding algorithms with several resolution parameters in the range $R=0.2$ to $0.6$. Differential jet production cross sections measured with the three jet finders are in agreement in the transverse momentum ($p_{\rm T}$) interval $20<p_{\rm T}^{\rm jet,ch}<100$ GeV/$c$. They are also consistent with prior measurements carried out at the LHC by the ATLAS collaboration. The jet charged particle multiplicity rises monotonically with increasing jet $p_{\rm T}$, in qualitative agreement with prior observations at lower energies. The transverse profiles of leading jets are investigated using radial momentum density distributions as well as distributions of the average radius containing 80% ($\langle R_{\rm 80} \rangle$) of the reconstructed jet $p_{\rm T}$. The fragmentation of leading jets with $R=0.4$ using scaled $p_{\rm T}$ spectra of the jet constituents is studied. The measurements are compared to model calculations from event generators (PYTHIA, PHOJET, HERWIG). The measured radial density distributions and $\langle R_{\rm 80} \rangle$ distributions are well described by the PYTHIA model (tune Perugia-2011). The fragmentation distributions are better described by HERWIG.

This letter presents the first measurement of jet mass in Pb-Pb and p-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}$ = 2.76 TeV and 5.02 TeV, respectively. Both the jet energy and the jet mass are expected to be sensitive to jet quenching in the hot Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) matter created in nuclear collisions at collider energies. Jets are reconstructed from charged particles using the anti-$k_{\rm T}$ jet algorithm and resolution parameter $R = 0.4$. The jets are measured in the pseudorapidity range $|\eta_{\rm{jet}}|<0.5$ and in three intervals of transverse momentum between 60 GeV/$c$ and 120 GeV/$c$. The measurement of the jet mass in central Pb-Pb collisions is compared to the jet mass as measured in p-Pb reference collisions, to vacuum event generators, and to models including jet quenching. It is observed that the jet mass in central Pb-Pb collisions is consistent within uncertainties with p-Pb reference measurements. Furthermore, the measured jet mass in Pb-Pb collisions is not reproduced by the quenching models considered in this letter and is found to be consistent with PYTHIA expectations within systematic uncertainties.

We present the first azimuthally differential measurements of the pion source size relative to the second harmonic event plane in Pb-Pb collisions at a center-of-mass energy per nucleon-nucleon pair of $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}=2.76$ TeV. The measurements have been performed in the centrality range 0-50% and for pion pair transverse momenta $0.2 < k_{\rm T} < 0.7$ GeV/$c$. We find that the $R_{\rm side}$ and $R_{\rm out}$ radii, which characterize the pion source size in the directions perpendicular and parallel to the pion transverse momentum, oscillate out of phase, similar to what was observed at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC). The final-state source eccentricity, estimated via $R_{\rm side}$ oscillations, is found to be significantly smaller than the initial-state source eccentricity, but remains positive; indicating that even after a stronger expansion in the in-plane direction, the pion source at the freeze-out is still elongated in the out-of-plane direction. The 3+1D hydrodynamic calculations are in qualitative agreement with observed centrality and transverse momentum $R_{\rm side}$ oscillations, but systematically underestimate the oscillation magnitude.

Comprehensive results on the production of unidentified charged particles, $\pi^{\pm}$, $\rm{K}^{\pm}$, $\rm{K}^{0}_{S}$, $\rm{K}$*(892)$^{0}$, $\rm{p}$, $\overline{\rm{p}}$, $\phi$(1020), $\Lambda$, $\overline{\Lambda}$, $\Xi^{-}$, $\overline{\Xi}^{+}$, $\Omega^{-}$ and $\overline{\Omega}^{+}$ hadrons in proton-proton (pp) collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 7 TeV at midrapidity ($|y| < 0.5$) as a function of charged-particle multiplicity density are presented. In order to avoid auto-correlation biases, the actual transverse momentum ($p_{\rm{T}}$) spectra of the particles under study and the event activity are measured in different rapidity windows. In the highest multiplicity class, the charged-particle density reaches about 3.5 times the value measured in inelastic collisions. While the yield of protons normalized to pions remains approximately constant as a function of multiplicity, the corresponding ratios of strange hadrons to pions show a significant enhancement that increases with increasing strangeness content. Furthermore, all identified particle to pion ratios are shown to depend solely on charged-particle multiplicity density, regardless of system type and collision energy. The evolution of the spectral shapes with multiplicity and hadron mass shows patterns that are similar to those observed in p-Pb and Pb-Pb collisions at LHC energies. The obtained $p_{\rm{T}}$ distributions and yields are compared to expectations from QCD-based pp event generators as well as to predictions from thermal and hydrodynamic models. These comparisons indicate that traces of a collective, equilibrated system are already present in high-multiplicity pp collisions.

The study of the strength and behaviour of the antikaon-nucleon ($\mathrm{\overline{K}N}$) interaction constitutes one of the key focuses of the strangeness sector in low-energy Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD). In this letter a unique high-precision measurement of the strong interaction between kaons and protons, close and above the kinematic threshold, is presented. The femtoscopic measurements of the correlation function at low pair-frame relative momentum of (K$^+$ p $\oplus$ K$^-$ $\overline{\mathrm{p}}$) and (K$^-$ p $\oplus$ K$^+$ $\overline{\mathrm{p}}$) pairs measured in pp collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 5, 7 and 13 TeV are reported. A structure observed around a relative momentum of 58 MeV/$c$ in the measured correlation function of (K$^-$ p $\oplus$ K$^+$ $\overline{\mathrm{p}}$) with a significance of 4.4. $\sigma$ constitutes the first experimental evidence for the opening of the $(\mathrm{\overline{K}^0 n} \oplus \mathrm{K^0 \overline{n}})$ isospin breaking channel due to the mass difference between charged and neutral kaons. The measured correlation functions have been compared to J\"{u}lich and Kyoto models in addition to the Coulomb potential. The high-precision data at low relative momenta presented in this work prove femtoscopy to be a powerful complementary tool to scattering experiments and provide new constraints above the $\mathrm{\overline{K}N}$ threshold for low-energy QCD chiral models.

A measurement of the production of prompt $\Lambda_{\rm c}^{+}$ baryons in Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}} = 5.02 $ TeV with the ALICE detector at the LHC is reported. The $\Lambda_{\rm c}^{+}$ and $\overline{\Lambda}_{\rm c}^{-}$ were reconstructed at midrapidity ($|y| < 0.5$) via the hadronic decay channel $\Lambda_{\rm c}^{+}\rightarrow {\rm p} {\rm K}_{\rm S}^{0}$ (and charge conjugate) in the transverse momentum and centrality intervals $6 < p_{\rm T} <12$ GeV/$c$ and 0-80%. The $\Lambda_{\rm c}^{+}$/D$^0$ ratio, which is sensitive to the charm quark hadronisation mechanisms in the medium, is measured and found to be larger than the ratio measured in minimum-bias pp collisions at $\sqrt{s} = 7$ TeV and in p-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}} = 5.02 $ TeV. In particular, the values in p-Pb and Pb-Pb collisions differ by about two standard deviations of the combined statistical and systematic uncertainties in the common $p_{\rm T}$ interval covered by the measurements in the two collision system. The $\Lambda_{\rm c}^{+}$/D$^0$ ratio is also compared with model calculations including different implementations of charm quark hadronisation. The measured ratio is reproduced by models implementing a pure coalescence scenario, while adding a fragmentation contribution leads to an underestimation. The $\Lambda_{\rm c}^{+}$ nuclear modification factor, $R_{\rm AA}$, is also presented. The measured values of the $R_{\rm AA}$ of $\Lambda_{\rm c}^{+}$, D$_{\rm s}$ and non-strange D mesons are compatible within the combined statistical and systematic uncertainties. They show, however, a hint of a hierarchy $(R_{\rm AA}^{{\rm D}^{0}}<R_{\rm AA}^{{\rm D}_{\rm s}}<R_{\rm AA}^{\Lambda_{\rm c}^{+}})$, conceivable with a contribution of recombination mechanisms to charm hadron formation in the medium.

The first measurements of the scattering parameters of $\Lambda$K pairs in all three charge combinations ($\Lambda$K$^{+}$, $\Lambda$K$^{-}$, and $\Lambda\mathrm{K^{0}_{S}}$) are presented. The results are achieved through a femtoscopic analysis of $\Lambda$K correlations in Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}}$ = 2.76 TeV recorded by ALICE at the LHC. The femtoscopic correlations result from strong final-state interactions, and are fit with a parametrization allowing for both the characterization of the pair emission source and the measurement of the scattering parameters for the particle pairs. Extensive studies with the THERMINATOR 2 event generator provide a good description of the non-femtoscopic background, which results mainly from collective effects, with unprecedented precision. Furthermore, together with HIJING simulations, this model is used to account for contributions from residual correlations induced by feed-down from particle decays. The extracted scattering parameters indicate that the strong force is repulsive in the $\Lambda\rm{K}^{+}$ interaction and attractive in the $\Lambda\rm{K}^{-}$ interaction. The data hint that the and $\Lambda\rm{K}^{0}_{S}$ interaction is attractive, however the uncertainty of the result does not permit such a decisive conclusion. The results suggest an effect arising either from different quark-antiquark interactions between the pairs ($\rm s\overline{s}$ in $\Lambda$K$^{+}$ and $\rm u\overline{u}$ in $\Lambda$K$^{-}$) or from different net strangeness for each system (S = 0 for $\Lambda$K$^{+}$, and S = $-2$ for $\Lambda$K$^{-}$). Finally, the $\Lambda$K systems exhibit source radii larger than expected from extrapolation from identical particle femtoscopic studies. This effect is interpreted as resulting from the separation in space-time of the single-particle $\Lambda$ and K source distributions.

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.

Inclusive J/$\psi$ production is studied in minimum-bias proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s}$ = 5.02 TeV by ALICE at the CERN LHC. The measurement is performed at mid-rapidity ($|y| < 0.9$) in the dielectron decay channel down to zero transverse momentum $p_{\rm T}$, using a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of $L_{\rm int} = 19.4 \pm$ 0.4 nb$^{-1}$. The measured $p_{\rm T}$-integrated inclusive J/$\psi$ production cross section is d$\sigma$/d$y$ = 5.64 $\pm$ 0.22 (stat.) $\pm 0.33$ (syst.) $\pm 0.12$ (lumi.) $\mu$b. The $p_{\rm T}$-differential cross section d$^{2} \sigma$/d$p_{\rm T}$d$y$ is measured in the $p_{\rm T}$ range 0$-$10 GeV/$c$ and compared with state-of-the-art perturbative QCD calculations. The J/$\psi$ $\langle p_{\rm T} \rangle$ and $\langle p_{\rm T}^{2} \rangle$ are extracted and compared with results obtained at other collision energies.

The global polarization of the $\Lambda$ and $\overline\Lambda$ hyperons is measured for Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm{NN}}}$ = 2.76 and 5.02 TeV recorded with the ALICE at the LHC. The results are reported differentially as a function of collision centrality and hyperon's transverse momentum ($p_{\rm{T}}$) for the range of centrality 5-50%, $0.5 < p_{\rm{T}} <5$ GeV/$c$, and rapidity $|y|<0.5$. The hyperon global polarization averaged for Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm{NN}}}$ = 2.76 and 5.02 TeV is found to be consistent with zero, $\langle P_{\rm{H}}\rangle$ (%) $\approx$ - 0.01 $\pm$ 0.05 (stat.) $\pm$ 0.03 (syst.) in the collision centrality range 15-50%, where the largest signal is expected. The results are compatible with expectations based on an extrapolation from measurements at lower collision energies at RHIC, hydrodynamical model calculations, and empirical estimates based on collision energy dependence of directed flow, all of which predict the global polarization values at LHC energies of the order of 0.01%.