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One of the key challenges for nuclear physics today is to understand from first principles the effective interaction between hadrons with different quark content. First successes have been achieved using techniques that solve the dynamics of quarks and gluons on discrete space-time lattices 1 , 2 . Experimentally, the dynamics of the strong interaction have been studied by scattering hadrons off each other. Such scattering experiments are difficult or impossible for unstable hadrons 3 – 6 and so high-quality measurements exist only for hadrons containing up and down quarks 7 . Here we demonstrate that measuring correlations in the momentum space between hadron pairs 8 – 12 produced in ultrarelativistic proton–proton collisions at the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC) provides a precise method with which to obtain the missing information on the interaction dynamics between any pair of unstable hadrons. Specifically, we discuss the case of the interaction of baryons containing strange quarks (hyperons). We demonstrate how, using precision measurements of proton–omega baryon correlations, the effect of the strong interaction for this hadron–hadron pair can be studied with precision similar to, and compared with, predictions from lattice calculations 13 , 14 . The large number of hyperons identified in proton–proton collisions at the LHC, together with accurate modelling 15 of the small (approximately one femtometre) inter-particle distance and exact predictions for the correlation functions, enables a detailed determination of the short-range part of the nucleon-hyperon interaction. Correlations in momentum space between hadrons created by ultrarelativistic proton–proton collisions at the CERN Large Hadron Collider provide insights into the strong interaction, particularly the short-range dynamics of hyperons—baryons that contain strange quarks.

A bstract The cross section for coherent photonuclear production of J/ ψ is presented as a function of the electromagnetic dissociation (EMD) of Pb. The measurement is performed with the ALICE detector in ultra-peripheral Pb-Pb collisions at a centre-of-mass energy per nucleon pair of s NN = 5.02 TeV. Cross sections are presented in five different J/ ψ rapidity ranges within | y | < 4, with the J/ ψ reconstructed via its dilepton decay channels. In some events the J/ ψ is not accompanied by EMD, while other events do produce neutrons from EMD at beam rapidities either in one or the other beam direction, or in both. The cross sections in a given rapidity range and for different configurations of neutrons from EMD allow for the extraction of the energy dependence of this process in the range 17 < W γ Pb , n < 920 GeV, where W γ Pb , n is the centre-of-mass energy per nucleon of the γ Pb system. This range corresponds to a Bjorken- x interval spanning about three orders of magnitude: 1.1 × 10 − 5 < x < 3.3 × 10 − 2 . In addition to the ultra-peripheral and photonuclear cross sections, the nuclear suppression factor is obtained. These measurements point to a strong depletion of the gluon distribution in Pb nuclei over a broad, previously unexplored, energy range. These results, together with previous ALICE measurements, provide unprecedented information to probe quantum chromodynamics at high energies.

A bstract Measurements of anisotropic flow coefficients with two- and multi-particle cumulants for inclusive charged particles in Pb-Pb collisions at s N N = 5.02 and 2.76 TeV are reported in the pseudorapidity range | η | < 0.8 and transverse momentum 0.2 < p T < 50 GeV/ c . The full data sample collected by the ALICE detector in 2015 (2010), corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 12.7 (2.0) μ b −1 in the centrality range 0-80%, is analysed. Flow coefficients up to the sixth flow harmonic ( v 6 ) are reported and a detailed comparison among results at the two energies is carried out. The p T dependence of anisotropic flow coefficients and its evolution with respect to centrality and harmonic number n are investigated. An approximate power-law scaling of the form v n ( p T ) ∼  p T n /3 is observed for all flow harmonics at low p T (0.2 < p T < 3 GeV/ c ). At the same time, the ratios v n / v m n / m are observed to be essentially independent of p T for most centralities up to about p T = 10 GeV/ c . Analysing the differences among higher-order cumulants of elliptic flow ( v 2 ), which have different sensitivities to flow fluctuations, a measurement of the standardised skewness of the event-by-event v 2 distribution P ( v 2 ) is reported and constraints on its higher moments are provided. The Elliptic Power distribution is used to parametrise P ( v 2 ), extracting its parameters from fits to cumulants. The measurements are compared to different model predictions in order to discriminate among initial-state models and to constrain the temperature dependence of the shear viscosity to entropy-density ratio.

The elliptic (v2), triangular (v3), and quadrangular (v4) flow coefficients of π±, K±, p+p¯¯¯,Λ+Λ¯¯¯¯,K0S, and the ϕ-meson are measured in Pb-Pb collisions at √sNN=5.02 TeV. Results obtained with the scalar product method are reported for the rapidity range |y| < 0.5 as a function of transverse momentum, pT, at different collision centrality intervals between 0–70%, including ultra-central (0–1%) collisions for π±, K±, and p+p¯¯¯. For pT < 3 GeV/c, the flow coefficients exhibit a particle mass dependence. At intermediate transverse momenta (3 < pT < 8–10 GeV/c), particles show an approximate grouping according to their type (i.e., mesons and baryons). The ϕ-meson v2, which tests both particle mass dependence and type scaling, follows p+p¯¯¯ v2 at low pT and π± v2 at intermediate pT. The evolution of the shape of vn(pT) as a function of centrality and harmonic number n is studied for the various particle species. Flow coefficients of π±, K±, and p+p¯¯¯ for pT < 3 GeV/c are compared to iEBE-VISHNU and MUSIC hydrodynamical calculations coupled to a hadronic cascade model (UrQMD). The iEBE-VISHNU calculations describe the results fairly well for pT < 2.5 GeV/c, while MUSIC calculations reproduce the measurements for pT < 1 GeV/c. A comparison to vn coefficients measured in Pb-Pb collisions at √sNN=2.76 TeV is also provided.

The pT-differential production cross section of prompt Λ c + charmed baryons was measured with the ALICE detector at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in pp collisions at s√=7 TeV and in p-Pb collisions at sNN−−−√=5.02 TeV at midrapidity. The Λ c + and Λ¯¯¯¯c¯¯¯ were reconstructed in the hadronic decay modes Λ c +  → pK−π+, Λ c +  → pK S 0 and in the semileptonic channel Λ c +  → e+νeΛ (and charge conjugates). The measured values of the Λ c + /D0 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 pT intervals, where the Λ 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 Λ c + nuclear modification factor, RpPb, is also presented. The RpPb 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.

The transverse momentum ( p T ) spectra and elliptic flow coefficient ( v 2 ) of deuterons and anti-deuterons at mid-rapidity ( | y | < 0.5 ) are measured with the ALICE detector at the LHC in Pb–Pb collisions at s NN = 2.76 TeV. The measurement of the p T spectra of (anti-)deuterons is done up to 8 GeV / c in 0–10% centrality class and up to 6 GeV / c in 10–20% and 20–40% centrality classes. The v 2 is measured in the 0.8 <  p T   < 5 GeV / c interval and in six different centrality intervals (0–5, 5–10, 10–20, 20–30, 30–40 and 40–50%) using the scalar product technique. Measured π ± , K ± and p+ p ¯ transverse-momentum spectra and v 2 are used to predict the deuteron p T spectra and v 2 within the Blast-Wave model. The predictions are able to reproduce the v 2 coefficient in the measured p T range and the transverse-momentum spectra for p T  > 1.8 GeV / c within the experimental uncertainties. The measurement of the coalescence parameter B 2 is performed, showing a p T dependence in contrast with the simplest coalescence model, which fails to reproduce also the measured v 2 coefficient. In addition, the coalescence parameter B 2 and the elliptic flow coefficient in the 20–40% centrality interval are compared with the AMPT model which is able, in its version without string melting, to reproduce the measured v 2 ( p T ) and the B 2 ( p T ) trend.

We present the measurement of a new set of jet shape observables for track-based jets in central Pb-Pb collisions at sNN−−−√=2.76 TeV. The set of jet shapes includes the first radial moment or angularity, g; the momentum dispersion, pTD; and the difference between the leading and sub-leading constituent track transverse momentum, LeSub. These observables provide complementary information on the jet fragmentation and can constrain different aspects of the theoretical description of jet-medium interactions. The jet shapes were measured for a small resolution parameter R = 0.2 and were fully corrected to particle level. The observed jet shape modifications indicate that in-medium fragmentation is harder and more collimated than vacuum fragmentation as obtained by PYTHIA calculations, which were validated with the measurements of the jet shapes in proton-proton collisions at s√=7 TeV. The comparison of the measured distributions to templates for quark and gluon-initiated jets indicates that in-medium fragmentation resembles that of quark jets in vacuum. We further argue that the observed modifications are not consistent with a totally coherent energy loss picture where the jet loses energy as a single colour charge, suggesting that the medium resolves the jet structure at the angular scales probed by our measurements (R = 0.2). Furthermore, we observe that small-R jets can help to isolate purely energy loss effects from other effects that contribute to the modifications of the jet shower in medium such as the correlated background or medium response.

A bstract Systematic studies of charge-dependent two- and three-particle correlations in Pb-Pb collisions at s NN = 2.76 and 5.02 TeV used to probe the Chiral Magnetic Effect (CME) are presented. These measurements are performed for charged particles in the pseudorapidity ( η ) and transverse momentum ( p T ) ranges | η | < 0 . 8 and 0 . 2 < p T < 5 GeV/ c . A significant charge-dependent signal that becomes more pronounced for peripheral collisions is reported for the CME-sensitive correlators γ 1, 1  = 〈cos( φ α  +  φ β  − 2Ψ 2 )〉 and γ 1, − 3  = 〈cos( φ α  − 3 φ β  + 2Ψ 2 )〉. The results are used to estimate the contribution of background effects, associated with local charge conservation coupled to anisotropic flow modulations, to measurements of the CME. A blast-wave parametrisation that incorporates local charge conservation tuned to reproduce the centrality dependent background effects is not able to fully describe the measured γ 1 , 1 . Finally, the charge and centrality dependence of mixed-harmonics three-particle correlations, of the form γ 1, 2  = 〈cos( φ α  + 2 φ β  − 3Ψ 3 )〉, which are insensitive to the CME signal, verify again that background contributions dominate the measurement of γ 1 , 1 .

Inclusive J/ψ production is studied in p-Pb interactions at a centre-of-mass energy per nucleon-nucleon collision √sNN=8.16 TeV, using the ALICE detector at the CERN LHC. The J/ψ meson is reconstructed, via its decay to a muon pair, in the centre-of-mass rapidity intervals 2.03 < ycms < 3.53 and −4.46 < ycms < −2.96, where positive and negative ycms refer to the p-going and Pb-going direction, respectively. The transverse momentum coverage is pT < 20 GeV/c. In this paper, ycms- and pT-differential cross sections for inclusive J/ψ production are presented, and the corresponding nuclear modification factors RpPb are shown. Forward results show a suppression of the J/ψ yield with respect to pp collisions, concentrated in the region pT ≲ 5 GeV/c. At backward rapidity no significant suppression is observed. The results are compared to previous measurements by ALICE in p-Pb collisions at √sNN=5.02 TeV and to theoretical calculations. Finally, the ratios RFB between forward- and backward-ycms RpPb values are shown and discussed.

A bstract The p T -differential production cross sections of non-prompt D 0 , D + , and D s + mesons originating from beauty-hadron decays are measured in proton–proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy s = 13 TeV. The measurements are performed at midrapidity, | y | < 0 . 5, with the data sample collected by ALICE from 2016 to 2018. The results are in agreement with predictions from several perturbative QCD calculations. The fragmentation fraction of beauty quarks to strange mesons divided by the one to non-strange mesons, f s / ( f u + f d ), is found to be 0 . 114 ± 0 . 016 (stat . ) ± 0 . 006 (syst . ) ± 0 . 003 (BR) ± 0 . 003 (extrap . ). This value is compatible with previous measurements at lower centre-of-mass energies and in different collision systems in agreement with the assumption of universality of fragmentation functions. In addition, the dependence of the non-prompt D meson production on the centre-of-mass energy is investigated by comparing the results obtained at s = 5 . 02 and 13 TeV, showing a hardening of the non-prompt D-meson p T -differential production cross section at higher s . Finally, the b b ¯ production cross section per unit of rapidity at midrapidity is calculated from the non-prompt D 0 , D + , D s + , and Λ c + hadron measurements, obtaining d σ / d y = 75.2 ± 3.2 stat . ± 5.2 syst . − 3.2 + 12.3 extrap . μb.