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Abstract ALICE is a large experiment at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. Located 52 meters underground, its detectors are suitable to measure muons produced by cosmic-ray interactions in the atmosphere. In this paper, the studies of the cosmic muons registered by ALICE during Run 2 (2015–2018) are described.The analysis is limited to multimuon events defined as events with more than four detected muons (N_μ> 4) and in the zenith angle range 0° < θ < 50°. The results are compared with Monte Carlo simulations using three of the main hadronic interaction models describing the air shower development in the atmosphere: QGSJET-II-04, EPOS-LHC, and SIBYLL 2.3d.The interval of the primary cosmic-ray energy involved in the measuredmuon multiplicity distribution is about4 × 10¹⁵<E_prim< 6 × 10¹⁶eV.In this interval none of the three models is able to describe precisely the trend of the composition of cosmic rays as the energy increases. However,QGSJET-II-04 is found to be the only model capable of reproducing reasonably well the muon multiplicity distribution, assuming a heavy composition of the primary cosmic raysover the whole energy range, while SIBYLL 2.3d and EPOS-LHC underpredict thenumber of muons in a large interval of multiplicity by more than 20% and 30%, respectively.The rate of high muon multiplicity events (N_μ> 100) obtainedwith QGSJET-II-04 and SIBYLL 2.3d is compatible with the data, while EPOS-LHC produces a significantly lower rate (55% of the measured rate). For both QGSJET-II-04 and SIBYLL 2.3d, the rate is close to the data when the composition is assumed to be dominated by heavy elements, an outcome compatible with the average energy E_prim∼ 10¹⁷eV of these events.This result places significant constraints on more exotic production mechanisms. 

Abstract The total charm-quark production cross section per unit of rapidity$$\textrm{d}\sigma ({{\textrm{c}}\overline{\textrm{c}}})/\textrm{d}y$$ $\text{d}\sigma \left(\text{c}\overline{\text{c}}\right)/\text{d}y$, and the fragmentation fractions of charm quarks to different charm-hadron species$$f(\textrm{c}\rightarrow {\textrm{h}}_{\textrm{c}})$$ $f(\text{c}\to {\text{h}}_{\text{c}})$, are measured for the first time in p–Pb collisions at$$\sqrt{s_\textrm{NN}} = 5.02~\text {Te}\hspace{-1.00006pt}\textrm{V} $$ $\sqrt{s_{\text{NN}}}=5.02\text{Te}\text{V}$at midrapidity ($$-0.96<0.04$$ $-0.96<y<0.04$in the centre-of-mass frame) using data collected by ALICE at the CERN LHC. The results are obtained based on all the available measurements of prompt production of ground-state charm-hadron species:$$\textrm{D}^{0}$$ ${\text{D}}^0$,$$\textrm{D}^{+}$$ ${\text{D}}^{+}$,$$\textrm{D}_\textrm{s}^{+}$$ ${\text{D}}_{\text{s}}^{+}$, and$$\mathrm {J/\psi }$$ $J/\psi$mesons, and$$\Lambda _\textrm{c}^{+}$$ ${\Lambda }_{\text{c}}^{+}$and$$\Xi _\textrm{c}^{0}$$ ${\Xi }_{\text{c}}^0$baryons. The resulting cross section is$$ \textrm{d}\sigma ({{\textrm{c}}\overline{\textrm{c}}})/\textrm{d}y =219.6 \pm 6.3\;(\mathrm {stat.}) {\;}_{-11.8}^{+10.5}\;(\mathrm {syst.}) {\;}_{-2.9}^{+8.3}\;(\mathrm {extr.})\pm 5.4\;(\textrm{BR})\pm 4.6\;(\mathrm {lumi.}) \pm 19.5\;(\text {rapidity shape})+15.0\;(\Omega _\textrm{c}^{0})\;\textrm{mb} $$ $\text{d}\sigma \left(\text{c}\overline{\text{c}}\right)/\text{d}y=219.6\pm 6.3\left(\mathrm{stat}.\right)_{-11.8}^{+10.5}\left(\mathrm{syst}.\right)_{-2.9}^{+8.3}\left(\mathrm{extr}.\right)\pm 5.4\left(\text{BR}\right)\pm 4.6\left(\mathrm{lumi}.\right)\pm 19.5\left(\text{rapidity shape}\right)+15.0\left({\Omega }_{\text{c}}^0\right)\text{mb}$, which is consistent with a binary scaling of pQCD calculations from pp collisions. The measured fragmentation fractions are compatible with those measured in pp collisions at$$\sqrt{s} = 5.02$$ $\sqrt{s}=5.02$and 13 TeV, showing an increase in the relative production rates of charm baryons with respect to charm mesons in pp and p–Pb collisions compared with$$\mathrm {e^{+}e^{-}}$$ $e^{+}{e}^{-}$and$$\mathrm {e^{-}p}$$ $e^{-}p$collisions. The$$p_\textrm{T}$$ $p_{\text{T}}$-integrated nuclear modification factor of charm quarks,$$R_\textrm{pPb}({\textrm{c}}\overline{\textrm{c}})= 0.91 \pm 0.04\;\mathrm{(stat.)} ^{+0.08}_{-0.09}\;\mathrm{(syst.)} ^{+0.05}_{-0.03}\;\mathrm{(extr.)} \pm 0.03\;\mathrm{(lumi.)}$$ $R_{\text{pPb}}\left(\text{c}\overline{\text{c}}\right)=0.91\pm 0.04{(\mathrm{stat}.)}_{-0.09}^{+0.08}{(\mathrm{syst}.)}_{-0.03}^{+0.05}(\mathrm{extr}.)\pm 0.03(\mathrm{lumi}.)$, is found to be consistent with unity and with theoretical predictions including nuclear modifications of the parton distribution functions.