Inclusive transverse momentum spectra of primary charged particles in Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{_{\rm NN}}}$ = 2.76 TeV have been measured by the ALICE Collaboration at the LHC. The data are presented for central and peripheral collisions, corresponding to 0-5% and 70-80% of the hadronic Pb-Pb cross section. The measured charged particle spectra in $|\eta|<0.8$ and $0.3 < p_T < 20$ GeV/$c$ are compared to the expectation in pp collisions at the same $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}$, scaled by the number of underlying nucleon-nucleon collisions. The comparison is expressed in terms of the nuclear modification factor $R_{\rm AA}$. The result indicates only weak medium effects ($R_{\rm AA} \approx $ 0.7) in peripheral collisions. In central collisions, $R_{\rm AA}$ reaches a minimum of about 0.14 at $p_{\rm T}=6$-7GeV/$c$ and increases significantly at larger $p_{\rm T}$. The measured suppression of high-$p_{\rm T}$ particles is stronger than that observed at lower collision energies, indicating that a very dense medium is formed in central Pb-Pb collisions at the LHC.

The production of the $\psi(2S)$ charmonium state was measured with ALICE in Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}=5.02$ TeV, in the dimuon decay channel. A significant signal was observed for the first time at LHC energies down to zero transverse momentum, at forward rapidity ($2.5<y<4$). The measurement of the ratio of the inclusive production cross sections of the $\psi(2S)$ and J/$\psi$ resonances is reported as a function of the centrality of the collisions and of transverse momentum, in the region $p_{\rm T}<12$ GeV/$c$. The results are compared with the corresponding measurements in pp collisions, by forming the double ratio $[\sigma^{\psi(2S)}/\sigma^{J/\psi}]_{\rm{Pb-Pb}}/[\sigma^{\psi(2S)}/\sigma^{J/\psi}]_{\rm{pp}}$. It is found that in Pb-Pb collisions the $\psi(2S)$ is suppressed by a factor of $\sim 2$ with respect to the J/$\psi$. The $\psi(2S)$ nuclear modification factor $R_{\rm AA}$ was also obtained as a function of both centrality and $p_{\rm T}$. The results show that the $\psi(2S)$ resonance yield is strongly suppressed in Pb-Pb collisions, by a factor up to $\sim 3$ with respect to pp. Comparisons of cross section ratios with previous SPS findings by the NA50 experiment and of $R_{\rm AA}$ with higher-$p_{\rm T}$ results at LHC energy are also reported. These results and the corresponding comparisons with calculations of transport and statistical models address questions on the presence and properties of charmonium states in the quark-gluon plasma formed in nuclear collisions at the LHC.

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.

Inclusive J/$\psi$ production is studied in Xe-Xe interactions at a centre-of-mass energy per nucleon pair of $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}= 5.44$ TeV, using the ALICE detector at the CERN LHC. The J/$\psi$ meson is reconstructed via its decay into a muon pair, in the centre-of-mass rapidity interval $2.5<y<4$ and down to zero transverse momentum. In this Letter, the nuclear modification factors $R_{\rm AA}$ for inclusive J/$\psi$, measured in the centrality range 0-90% as well as in the centrality intervals 0-20% and 20-90% are presented. The $R_{\rm AA}$ values are compared to previously published results for Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}= 5.02$ TeV and to the calculation of a transport model. A good agreement is found between Xe-Xe and Pb-Pb results as well as between data and the model.

The ALICE experiment has measured the inclusive J/$\psi$ production in Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}} } = 2.76$ TeV down to zero transverse momentum in the rapidity range $2.5 < y < 4$. A suppression of the inclusive J/$\psi$ yield in Pb-Pb is observed with respect to the one measured in pp collisions scaled by the number of binary nucleon-nucleon collisions. The nuclear modification factor, integrated over the 0-80% most central collisions, is $0.545 \pm 0.032 \rm{(stat.)} \pm 0.083 \rm{(syst.)}$ and does not exhibit a significant dependence on the collision centrality. These features appear significantly different from measurements at lower collision energies. Models including J/$\psi$ production from charm quarks in a deconfined partonic phase can describe our data.

Inclusive $\Upsilon$(1S) and $\Upsilon$(2S) production have been measured in Pb-Pb collisions at the centre-of-mass energy per nucleon-nucleon pair $\sqrt{s_{_{\rm NN}}}=5.02$ TeV, using the ALICE detector at the CERN LHC. The $\Upsilon$ mesons are reconstructed in the centre-of-mass rapidity interval $2.5<y<4$ and in the transverse-momentum range $p_{\rm T}<15$ GeV/$c$, via their decays to muon pairs. In this Letter, we present results on the inclusive $\Upsilon$(1S) nuclear modification factor $R_{\rm AA}$ as a function of collision centrality, transverse momentum and rapidity. The $\Upsilon$(1S) and $\Upsilon$(2S) $R_{\rm AA}$, integrated over the centrality range 0-90%, are $0.37 \pm 0.02 {\rm{(stat)}}\pm 0.03 {\rm{(syst)}}$ and $0.10 \pm 0.04 {\rm{(stat)}}\pm 0.02 {\rm{(syst)}}$, respectively, leading to a ratio $R_{\rm{AA}}^{\Upsilon(\rm2S)}/R_{\rm{AA}}^{\Upsilon(\rm1S)}$ of $0.28\pm0.12\text{(stat)}\pm0.06\text{(syst)}$. The observed $\Upsilon$(1S) suppression increases with the centrality of the collision and no significant variation is observed as a function of transverse momentum and rapidity.

The production of K$^*$(892)$^\pm$ meson resonance is measured at midrapidity ($|y|<0.5$) in Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}=5.02$ TeV using the ALICE detector at the LHC. The resonance is reconstructed via its hadronic decay channel K$^*$(892)$^\pm \rightarrow \rm{K^0_S \pi^\pm}$. The transverse momentum distributions are obtained for various centrality intervals in the $p_{\rm T}$ range of 0.4-16 GeV/$c$. The reported measurements of integrated yields, mean transverse momenta, and particle yield ratios are consistent with previous ALICE measurements for K$^*$(892)$^0$. The $p_{\rm T}$-integrated yield ratio 2K$^*$(892)$^\pm$/($\rm{K^+ + K^-}$) in central Pb-Pb collisions shows a significant suppression (9.3$\sigma$) relative to pp collisions. Thermal model calculations overpredict the particle yield ratio. Although both simulations consider the hadronic phase, only HRG-PCE accurately represents the measurements, whereas MUSIC+SMASH tends to overpredict them. These observations, along with the kinetic freeze-out temperatures extracted from the yields of light-flavored hadrons using the HRG-PCE model, indicate a finite hadronic phase lifetime, which increases towards central collisions. The $p_{\rm T}$-differential yield ratios 2K$^*$(892)$^\pm$/($\rm{K^+ + K^-}$) and 2K$^*$(892)$^\pm$/($\rm{\pi^+ + \pi^-}$) are suppressed by up to a factor of five at $p_{\rm T}<2$ GeV/$c$ in central Pb-Pb collisions compared to pp collisions at $\sqrt{s} =$ 5.02 TeV. Both particle ratios and are qualitatively consistent with expectations for rescattering effects in the hadronic phase. The nuclear modification factor shows a smooth evolution with centrality and is below unity at $p_{\rm T}>8$ GeV/$c$, consistent with measurements for other light-flavored hadrons. The smallest values are observed in most central collisions, indicating larger energy loss of partons traversing the dense medium.

$\phi$ meson measurements provide insight into strangeness production, which is one of the key observables for the hot medium formed in high-energy heavy-ion collisions. ALICE measured $\phi$ production through its decay in muon pairs in Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_\mathrm{NN}}$ = 2.76 TeV in the intermediate transverse momentum range $2 < p_{\rm T} < 5$ GeV/$c$ and in the rapidity interval $2.5<y<4$. The $\phi$ yield was measured as a function of the transverse momentum and collision centrality. The nuclear modification factor was obtained as a function of the average number of participating nucleons. Results were compared with the ones obtained via the kaon decay channel in the same $p_{\rm T}$ range at midrapidity. The values of the nuclear modification factor in the two rapidity regions are in agreement within uncertainties.

The production of prompt charmed mesons D$^0$, D$^+$ and D$^{*+}$, and their antiparticles, was measured with the ALICE detector in Pb-Pb collisions at the centre-of-mass energy per nucleon pair, $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}$, of 2.76 TeV. The production yields for rapidity $|y|<0.5$ are presented as a function of transverse momentum, $p_{\rm T}$, in the interval 1-36 GeV/$c$ for the centrality class 0-10% and in the interval 1-16 GeV/$c$ for the centrality class 30-50%. The nuclear modification factor $R_{\rm AA}$ was computed using a proton-proton reference at $\sqrt{s} = 2.76$ TeV, based on measurements at $\sqrt{s} = 7$ TeV and on theoretical calculations. A maximum suppression by a factor of 5-6 with respect to binary-scaled pp yields is observed for the most central collisions at $p_{\rm T}$ of about 10 GeV/$c$. A suppression by a factor of about 2-3 persists at the highest $p_{\rm T}$ covered by the measurements. At low $p_{\rm T}$ (1-3 GeV/$c$), the $R_{\rm AA}$ has large uncertainties that span the range 0.35 (factor of about 3 suppression) to 1 (no suppression). In all $p_{\rm T}$ intervals, the $R_{\rm AA}$ is larger in the 30-50% centrality class compared to central collisions. The D-meson $R_{\rm AA}$ is also compared with that of charged pions and, at large $p_{\rm T}$, charged hadrons, and with model calculations.

The inclusive J/$\psi$ production has been studied in Pn-Pb and pp collisions at the centre-of-mass energy per nucleon pair $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}=5.02$ TeV, using the ALICE detector at the CERN LHC. The J/$\psi$ meson is reconstructed, in the centre-of-mass rapidity interval $2.5<y<4$ and in the transverse-momentum range $p_{\rm T}<12$ GeV/$c$, via its decay to a muon pair. In this Letter, we present results on the inclusive J/$\psi$ cross section in pp collisions at $\sqrt{s}=5.02$ TeV and on the nuclear modification factor $R_{\rm AA}$. The latter is presented as a function of the centrality of the collision and, for central collisions, as a function of the transverse momentum $p_{\rm T}$ of the J/$\psi$. The measured $R_{\rm AA}$ values indicate a suppression of the J/$\psi$ in nuclear collisions and are then compared to our previous results obtained in Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}=2.76$ TeV. The ratio of the $R_{\rm AA}$ values at the two energies is also computed and compared to calculations of statistical and dynamical models. The numerical value of the ratio for central events (0-10\% centrality) is $1.17 \pm 0.04 {\rm{(stat)}}\pm 0.20 {\rm{(syst)}}$. In central events, as a function of $p_{\rm T}$, a slight increase of $R_{\rm AA}$ with collision energy is visible in the region $2<p_{\rm T}<6$ GeV/$c$. Theoretical calculations provide a good description of the measurements, within uncertainties.