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Abstract The coherent photoproduction of $$\mathrm{J}/\psi $$ J / ψ and $${\uppsi '}$$ ψ ′ mesons was measured in ultra-peripheral Pb–Pb collisions at a center-of-mass energy $$\sqrt{s_{\mathrm {NN}}}~=~5.02$$ s NN = 5.02  TeV  with the ALICE detector. Charmonia are detected in the central rapidity region for events where the hadronic interactions are strongly suppressed. The $$\mathrm{J}/\psi $$ J / ψ is reconstructed using the dilepton ( $$l^{+} l^{-}$$ l + l - ) and proton–antiproton decay channels, while for the $${\uppsi '}$$ ψ ′   the dilepton and the $$l^{+} l^{-} \pi ^{+} \pi ^{-}$$ l + l - π + π - decay channels are studied. The analysis is based on an event sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of about 233 $$\mu {\mathrm{b}}^{-1}$$ μ b - 1 . The results are compared with theoretical models for coherent $$\mathrm{J}/\psi $$ J / ψ and $${\uppsi '}$$ ψ ′ photoproduction. The coherent cross section is found to be in a good agreement with models incorporating moderate nuclear gluon shadowing of about 0.64 at a Bjorken- x of around $$6\times 10^{-4}$$ 6 × 10 - 4 , such as the EPS09 parametrization, however none of the models is able to fully describe the rapidity dependence of the coherent $$\mathrm{J}/\psi $$ J / ψ cross section including ALICE measurements at forward rapidity. The ratio of $${\uppsi '}$$ ψ ′ to $$\mathrm{J}/\psi $$ J / ψ coherent photoproduction cross sections was also measured and found to be consistent with the one for photoproduction off protons. 

Abstract The production of $$\phi $$ ϕ mesons has been studied in pp collisions at LHC energies with the ALICE detector via the dimuon decay channel in the rapidity region $$2.5< y < 4$$ 2.5 < y < 4 . Measurements of the differential cross section $$\mathrm{d}^2\sigma /\mathrm{d}y \mathrm{d}p_{\mathrm {T}}$$ d 2 σ / d y d p T are presented as a function of the transverse momentum ( $$p_{\mathrm {T}}$$ p T ) at the center-of-mass energies $$\sqrt{s}=5.02$$ s = 5.02 , 8 and 13 TeV and compared with the ALICE results at midrapidity. The differential cross sections at $$\sqrt{s}=5.02$$ s = 5.02 and 13 TeV are also studied in several rapidity intervals as a function of $$p_{\mathrm {T}}$$ p T , and as a function of rapidity in three $$p_{\mathrm {T}}$$ p T intervals. A hardening of the $$p_{\mathrm {T}}$$ p T -differential cross section with the collision energy is observed, while, for a given energy, $$p_{\mathrm {T}}$$ p T spectra soften with increasing rapidity and, conversely, rapidity distributions get slightly narrower at increasing $$p_{\mathrm {T}}$$ p T . The new results, complementing the published measurements at $$\sqrt{s}=2.76$$ s = 2.76 and 7 TeV, allow one to establish the energy dependence of $$\phi $$ ϕ meson production and to compare the measured cross sections with phenomenological models. None of the considered models manages to describe the evolution of the cross section with $$p_{\mathrm {T}}$$ p T and rapidity at all the energies. 

Abstract The first measurement of the production of pions, kaons, (anti-)protons and $$\phi $$ ϕ mesons at midrapidity in Xe–Xe collisions at $$\sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}} = 5.44~\text {TeV}$$ s NN = 5.44 TeV is presented. Transverse momentum ( $$p_{\mathrm{T}}$$ p T ) spectra and $$p_{\mathrm{T}}$$ p T -integrated yields are extracted in several centrality intervals bridging from p–Pb to mid-central Pb–Pb collisions in terms of final-state multiplicity. The study of Xe–Xe and Pb–Pb collisions allows systems at similar charged-particle multiplicities but with different initial geometrical eccentricities to be investigated. A detailed comparison of the spectral shapes in the two systems reveals an opposite behaviour for radial and elliptic flow. In particular, this study shows that the radial flow does not depend on the colliding system when compared at similar charged-particle multiplicity. In terms of hadron chemistry, the previously observed smooth evolution of particle ratios with multiplicity from small to large collision systems is also found to hold in Xe–Xe. In addition, our results confirm that two remarkable features of particle production at LHC energies are also valid in the collision of medium-sized nuclei: the lower proton-to-pion ratio with respect to the thermal model expectations and the increase of the $$\phi $$ ϕ -to-pion ratio with increasing final-state multiplicity. 

Abstract The multiplicity dependence of the pseudorapidity density of charged particles in proton–proton (pp) collisions at centre-of-mass energies $$\sqrt{s}~=~5.02$$ s = 5.02 , 7 and 13 TeV measured by ALICE is reported. The analysis relies on track segments measured in the midrapidity range ( $$|\eta | < 1.5$$ | η | < 1.5 ). Results are presented for inelastic events having at least one charged particle produced in the pseudorapidity interval $$|\eta |<1$$ | η | < 1 . The multiplicity dependence of the pseudorapidity density of charged particles is measured with mid- and forward rapidity multiplicity estimators, the latter being less affected by autocorrelations. A detailed comparison with predictions from the PYTHIA 8 and EPOS LHC event generators is also presented. The results can be used to constrain models for particle production as a function of multiplicity in pp collisions.