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 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.

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.

The ALICE Collaboration has measured the inclusive production of muons from heavy flavour decays at forward rapidity, 2.5 < y < 4, in pp and Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt {s_{NN}}$ = 2.76 TeV. The $p_{\rm T}$-differential inclusive cross section of muons from heavy flavour decays in pp collisions is compared to perturbative QCD calculations. The nuclear modification factor is studied as a function of pt and collision centrality. A weak suppression is measured in peripheral collisions. In the most central collisions, a suppression of a factor of about 3-4 is observed in 6 < $p_{\rm T}$ < 10 GeV/$c$. The suppression shows no significant $p_{\rm T}$ dependence.

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 transverse momentum ($p_{\rm T}$) spectrum and nuclear modification factor ($R_{\rm AA}$) of reconstructed jets in 0-10% and 10-30% central Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}=2.76$ TeV were measured. Jets were reconstructed from charged and neutral particles, utilizing the ALICE tracking detectors and Electromagnetic Calorimeter (EMCal), with the anti-$k_{\rm T}$ jet algorithm with a resolution parameter of R=0.2. The jet $p_{\rm T}$ spectra are reported in the pseudorapidity interval of $|{\eta}_{\rm jet}|<0.5$ for $40<p_{\rm T,jet}<120$ GeV/$c$ in 0-10% and for $30<p_{\rm T,jet}<100$ GeV/$c$ in 10-30% collisions. Reconstructed jets were required to contain a leading charged particle with $p_{\rm T}>5$ GeV/$c$ to suppress jets constructed from the combinatorial background in Pb-Pb collisions. The effect of the leading charged particle requirement has been studied in both pp and Pb-Pb collisions and has been shown to have negligible effects on the $R_{\rm AA}$ within the uncertainties of the measurement. The nuclear modification factor is obtained by dividing the jet spectrum measured in Pb-Pb by that in pp collisions scaled by the number of independent nucleon-nucleon collisions estimated using a Glauber model. $R_{\rm AA}$ is found to be $0.28\pm0.04$ in 0-10% and $0.35\pm0.04$ in 10-30% collisions, independent of $p_{\rm T,jet}$ within the uncertainties of the measurement. The observed suppression is in fair agreement with expectations from two model calculations with different approaches to jet quenching.

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.

$\phi$ 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 yield and angular anisotropy of prompt ${D_s^+}$ mesons were measured as a function of transverse momentum ($p_{ T}$) in Pb-Pb collisions at a centre-of-mass energy per nucleon pair $\sqrt{s_{ NN}} = 5.02$ TeV collected with the ALICE detector at the LHC. ${D_s^+}$ mesons and their charge conjugates were reconstructed at midrapidity ($|y|<0.5$) from their hadronic decay channel ${D_s^+ \to \phi \pi^+}$, with ${\phi \to K^-K^+}$, in the $p_{ T}$ intervals $2<p_{ T}<50$ GeV/$c$ and $2<p_{ T}<36$ GeV/$c$ for the 0-10% and 30-50% centrality intervals. For $p_{ T}>10$ GeV/$c$, the measured ${D_s^+}$-meson nuclear modification factor $R_{ AA}$ is consistent with the one of non-strange D mesons within uncertainties, while at lower $p_{ T}$ a hint for a ${D_s^+}$-meson $R_{ AA}$ larger than that of non-strange D mesons is seen. The enhanced production of ${D_s^+}$ relative to non-strange D mesons is also studied by comparing the $p_{ T}$-dependent ${D_s^+/D^0}$ production yield ratios in Pb-Pb and in pp collisions. The ratio measured in Pb-Pb collisions is found to be on average higher than that in pp collisions in the interval $2<p_{ T} <8$ GeV/$c$ with a significance of 2.3$\sigma$ and 2.4$\sigma$ for the 0-10% and 30-50% centrality intervals. The azimuthal anisotropy coefficient $v_2$ of prompt ${D_s^+}$ mesons was measured in Pb-Pb collisions in the 30-50% centrality interval and is found to be compatible with that of non-strange D mesons. The main features of the measured $R_{ AA}$, ${D_s^+/D^0}$ ratio, and $v_2$ as a function of $p_{ T}$ are described by theoretical calculations of charm-quark transport in a hydrodynamically expanding quark-gluon plasma including hadronisation via charm-quark recombination with light quarks from the medium. The $p_{ T}$-integrated production yield of ${D_s^+}$ mesons is compatible with the prediction of the statistical hadronisation model.