We present the first measurement of event-by-event fluctuations in the kaon sector in Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt {s_{\rm NN}}=$ 2.76 TeV with the ALICE detector at the LHC. The robust fluctuation correlator $\nu_{\rm dyn}$ is used to evaluate the magnitude of fluctuations of the relative yields of neutral and charged kaons, as well as the relative yields of charged kaons, as a function of collision centrality and selected kinematic ranges. While the correlator $\nu_{\rm dyn}[\rm K^+,\rm K^-]$ exhibits a scaling approximately in inverse proportion of the charged particle multiplicity, $\nu_{\rm dyn}[\rm K_S^0,\rm K^{\pm}]$ features a significant deviation from such scaling. Within uncertainties, the value of $\nu_{\rm dyn}[\rm K_S^0,\rm K^{\pm}]$ is independent of the selected transverse momentum interval, while it exhibits a pseudorapidity dependence. The results are compared with HIJING, AMPT and EPOS-LHC predictions, and are further discussed in the context of the possible production of disoriented chiral condensates in central Pb-Pb collisions.

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.

A measurement of dielectron production in proton-proton (pp) collisions at $\sqrt{s} = 13$ TeV, recorded with the ALICE detector at the CERN LHC, is presented in this Letter. The data set was recorded with a reduced magnetic solenoid field. This enables the investigation of a kinematic domain at low dielectron invariant mass $m_{\rm ee}$ and pair transverse momentum $p_{\rm T,ee}$ that was previously inaccessible at the LHC. The cross section for dielectron production is studied as a function of $m_{\rm ee}$, $p_{\rm T,ee}$, and event multiplicity ${\rm d} N_{\rm ch}/{\rm d} \eta$. The expected dielectron rate from hadron decays, called hadronic cocktail, utilizes a parametrization of the measured $\eta/\pi^0$ ratio in pp and proton-nucleus (p-A) collisions, assuming that this ratio shows no strong dependence on collision energy at low transverse momentum. Comparison of the measured dielectron yield to the hadronic cocktail at $0.15<m_{\rm ee}<0.6$ GeV/$c^2$ and for $p_{\rm T,ee} < 0.4$ GeV/$c$ indicates an enhancement of soft dielectrons, reminiscent of the 'anomalous' soft-photon and -dilepton excess in hadron-hadron collisions reported by several experiments under different experimental conditions. The enhancement factor over the hadronic cocktail amounts to $1.61\pm 0.13\,(\rm{stat.})\pm 0.17\,(\rm{syst., data}) \pm 0.34\,(\rm{syst., cocktail})$ in the ALICE acceptance. Acceptance-corrected excess spectra in $m_{\rm ee}$ and $p_{\rm T,ee}$ are extracted and compared with calculations of dielectron production from hadronic bremsstrahlung and thermal radiation within a hadronic many-body approach.

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 fiducial cross section for $\Upsilon$(1S) pair production in proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV in the region where both $\Upsilon$(1S) mesons have an absolute rapidity below 2.0 is measured to be 79 $\pm$ 11 (stat) $\pm$ 6 (syst) $\pm$ 3 ($\mathcal{B}$) pb assuming the mesons are produced unpolarized. The last uncertainty corresponds to the uncertainty in the $\Upsilon$(1S) meson dimuon branching fraction. The measurement is performed in the final state with four muons using proton-proton collision data collected in 2016 by the CMS experiment at the LHC, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb$^{-1}$. This process serves as a standard model reference in a search for narrow resonances decaying to $\Upsilon$(1S)$\mu^+\mu^-$ in the same final state. Such a resonance could indicate the existence of a tetraquark that is a bound state of two b quarks and two $\bar{\mathrm{b}}$ antiquarks. The tetraquark search is performed for masses in the vicinity of four times the bottom quark mass, between 17.5 and 19.5 GeV, while a generic search for other resonances is performed for masses between 16.5 and 27 GeV. No significant excess of events compatible with a narrow resonance is observed in the data. Limits on the production cross section times branching fraction to four muons via an intermediate $\Upsilon$(1S) resonance are set as a function of the resonance mass.

Fluctuation measurements are important sources of information on the mechanism of particle production at LHC energies. This article reports the first experimental results on third-order cumulants of the net-proton distributions in Pb$-$Pb collisions at a center-of-mass energy $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}} = 5.02$ TeV recorded by the ALICE detector. The results on the second-order cumulants of net-proton distributions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}} = 2.76$ and $5.02$ TeV are also discussed in view of effects due to the global and local baryon number conservation. The results demonstrate the presence of long-range rapidity correlations between protons and antiprotons. Such correlations originate from the early phase of the collision. The experimental results are compared with HIJING and EPOS model calculations, and the dependence of the fluctuation measurements on the phase-space coverage is examined in the context of lattice quantum chromodynamics (LQCD) and hadron resonance gas (HRG) model estimations. The measured third-order cumulants are consistent with zero within experimental uncertainties of about 4% and are described well by LQCD and HRG predictions.

The pseudorapidity density of charged particles with minimum transverse momentum ($p_{\rm T}$) thresholds of 0.15, 0.5, 1, and 2 GeV$/c$ is measured in pp collisions at the centre of mass energies of $\sqrt{s} =$ 5.02 and 13 TeV with the ALICE detector. The study is carried out for inelastic collisions with at least one primary charged particle having a pseudorapidity ($\eta$) within $\pm0.8$ and $p_{\rm T}$ larger than the corresponding threshold. In addition, measurements without $p_{\rm T}$-thresholds are performed for inelastic and non-single-diffractive events as well as for inelastic events with at least one charged particle having $|\eta|<1$ in pp collisions at $\sqrt{s} =$ 5.02 TeV for the first time at the LHC. These measurements are compared to the PYTHIA 6, PYTHIA 8, and EPOS-LHC models. In general, the models describe the $\eta$ dependence of particle production well. However, discrepancies are observed for the highest transverse momentum threshold ($p_{\rm T}>2 {\rm\ GeV}/c$), highlighting the importance of such measurements for tuning event generators. The new measurements agree within uncertainties with results from the ATLAS and CMS experiments obtained at $\sqrt{s} = 13$ TeV.

The first measurements of elliptic flow of $\pi^\pm$, ${\rm K}^\pm$, p+$\overline{\rm p}$, ${\rm K_{S}^0}$, $\Lambda$+$\overline{\Lambda}$, $\phi$, $\Xi^-$+$\Xi^+$, and $\Omega^-$+$\Omega^+$ using multiparticle cumulants in Pb$-$Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}$ = 5.02 TeV are presented. Results obtained with two- ($v_2\{2\}$) and four-particle cumulants ($v_2\{4\}$) are shown as a function of transverse momentum, $p_{\rm T}$, for various collision centrality intervals. Combining the data for both $v_2\{2\}$ and $v_2\{4\}$ also allows us to report the first measurements of the mean elliptic flow, elliptic flow fluctuations, and relative elliptic flow fluctuations for various hadron species. These observables probe the event-by-event eccentricity fluctuations in the initial state and the contributions from the dynamic evolution of the expanding quark-gluon plasma. The characteristic features observed in previous $p_{\rm T}$-differential anisotropic flow measurements for identified hadrons with two-particle correlations, namely the mass ordering at low $p_{\rm T}$ and the approximate scaling with the number of constituent quarks at intermediate $p_{\rm T}$, are similarly present in the four-particle correlations and the combinations of $v_2\{2\}$ and $v_2\{4\}$. In addition, a particle species dependence of flow fluctuations is observed that could indicate a significant contribution from final state hadronic interactions. The comparison between experimental measurements and CoLBT model calculations, which combine the various physics processes of hydrodynamics, quark coalescence, and jet fragmentation, illustrates their importance over a wide $p_{\rm T}$ range.