The first measurement of HΛ3 and H‾Λ‾3 differential production with respect to transverse momentum and centrality in Pb–Pb collisions at sNN=5.02 TeV is presented. The HΛ3 has been reconstructed via its two-charged-body decay channel, i.e., HΛ3→3He+π−. A Blast-Wave model fit of the pT-differential spectra of all nuclear species measured by the ALICE collaboration suggests that the HΛ3 kinetic freeze-out surface is consistent with that of other nuclei. The ratio between the integrated yields of HΛ3 and He3 is compared to predictions from the statistical hadronisation model and the coalescence model, with the latter being favoured by the presented measurements.

Lifetimes of the 15/2-1 and 13/2-1 levels in 129Sn have been measured using gamma -gamma fast timing technique which come out to be 10(3) ps and 6(4) ps, respectively. The excited states were populated through internal transition decay of higher lying mu s isomers in 129Sn produced as fission fragments and mass separated by the Lohengrin separator at Institut Laue-Langevin. The generalized centroid difference method was applied with four LaBr3(Ce) detectors, placed at the focal plane of the separator. The measured lifetimes and absolute transition probabilities are discussed in the light of large scale shell model calculations to interpret the single particle configurations and their mixing.

Abstract The azimuthal anisotropy of particles associated with jets (jet particles) at midrapidity is measured for the first time in p-Pb and Pb-Pb collisions at $$ \sqrt{{\textrm{s}}_{\textrm{NN}}} $$ s NN = 5.02 TeV down to transverse momentum (pT) of 0.5 GeV/c and 2 GeV/c, respectively, with ALICE. The results obtained in p-Pb collisions are based on a novel three-particle correlation technique. The azimuthal anisotropy coefficient v2 in high-multiplicity p-Pb collisions is positive, with a significance reaching 6.8σ at low pT, and its magnitude is smaller than in semicentral Pb-Pb collisions. In contrast to the measurements in Pb-Pb collisions, the v2 coefficient is also found independent of pT within uncertainties. Comparisons with the inclusive charged-particle v2 and with AMPT calculations are discussed. The predictions suggest that parton interactions play an important role in generating a non-zero jet-particle v2 in p-Pb collisions, even though they overestimate the reported measurement. These observations shed new insights on the understanding of the origin of the collective behaviour of jet particles in small systems such as p-Pb collisions, and provide significant stringent new constraints to models.

A positive parity sequence of ΔI=2 γ transitions has been identified above Iπ=9/2+ state (Ex=2019 keV) in 115Sb through in-beam γ ray spectroscopic technique. Rotational features of this sequence are found similar to a low-K decoupled band. Observation of this newly identified low-K decoupled band, along with the earlier reported strongly coupled high-K band in this nucleus, provides the first experimental evidence for prolate-oblate shape coexistence associated with g9/2 proton-hole configuration around Z=50 shell closure. Experimental results are reproduced reasonably well in the frameworks of the projected shell model and the total Routhian surface calculations.

The two-particle momentum correlation functions between charm mesons (D*± and D±) and charged light-flavor mesons (π± and K±) in all charge combinations are measured for the first time by the ALICE Collaboration in high-multiplicity proton–proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of s=13 TeV. For DK and D*K pairs, the experimental results are in agreement with theoretical predictions of the residual strong interaction based on quantum chromodynamics calculations on the lattice and chiral effective field theory. In the case of Dπ and D*π pairs, tension between the calculations including strong interactions and the measurement is observed. For all particle pairs, the data can be adequately described by Coulomb interaction only, indicating a shallow interaction between charm and light-flavor mesons. Finally, the scattering lengths governing the residual strong interaction of the Dπ and D*π systems are determined by fitting the experimental correlation functions with a model that employs a Gaussian potential. The extracted values are small and compatible with zero. © 2024 CERN, for the ALICE Collaboration 2024 CERN

A Large Ion Collider Experiment (ALICE) has been conceived and constructed as a heavy-ion experiment at the LHC. During LHC Runs 1 and 2, it has produced a wide range of physics results using all collision systems available at the LHC. In order to best exploit new physics opportunities opening up with the upgraded LHC and new detector technologies, the experiment has undergone a major upgrade during the LHC Long Shutdown 2 (2019–2022). This comprises the move to continuous readout, the complete overhaul of core detectors, as well as a new online event processing farm with a redesigned online-offline software framework. These improvements will allow to record Pb-Pb collisions at rates up to 50 kHz, while ensuring sensitivity for signals without a triggerable signature.

Recent measurements of charm-baryon production in hadronic collisions have questioned the universality of charm-quark fragmentation across different collision systems. In this work the fragmentation of charm quarks into charm baryons is probed, by presenting the first measurement of the longitudinal jet momentum fraction carried by Λc+ baryons, z∥ch, in hadronic collisions. The results are obtained in proton-proton (pp) collisions at s=13 TeV at the LHC, with Λc+ baryons and charged (track-based) jets reconstructed in the transverse momentum intervals of 3≤pTΛc+<15 GeV/c and 7≤pTjet ch<15 GeV/c, respectively. The z∥ch distribution is compared to a measurement of D0-tagged charged jets in pp collisions as well as to 8 simulations. The data hints that the fragmentation of charm quarks into charm baryons is softer with respect to charm mesons, in the measured kinematic interval, as predicted by hadronization models which include color correlations beyond leading-color in the string formation. © 2024 CERN, for the ALICE Collaboration 2024 CERN

Collective behavior has been observed in high-energy heavy-ion collisions for several decades. Collectivity is driven by the high particle multiplicities that are produced in these collisions. At the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC), features of collectivity have also been seen in high-multiplicity proton-proton collisions that can attain particle multiplicities comparable to peripheral Pb-Pb collisions. One of the possible signatures of collective behavior is the decrease of femtoscopic radii extracted from pion and kaon pairs emitted from highmultiplicity collisions with increasing pair transverse momentum. This decrease can be described in terms of an approximate transverse mass scaling. In the present work, femtoscopic analyses are carried out by the ALICE Collaboration on charged pion and kaon pairs produced in pp collisions at root s = 13 TeV from the LHC to study possible collectivity in pp collisions. The event-shape analysis method based on transverse sphericity is used to select for spherical versus jetlike events, and the effects of this selection on the femtoscopic radii for both charged pion and kaon pairs are studied. This is the first time this selection method has been applied to charged kaon pairs. An approximate transverse-mass scaling of the radii is found in all multiplicity ranges studied when the difference in the Lorentz boost for pions and kaons is taken into account. This observation does not support the hypothesis of collective expansion of hot and dense matter that should only occur in high-multiplicity events. A possible alternate explanation of the present results is based on a scenario of common emission conditions for pions and kaons in pp collisions for the multiplicity ranges studied.

Long- and short-range correlations for pairs of charged particles are studied via two-particle angular correlations in pp collisions at √(s) = 13 TeV and p–Pb collisions at √(s_NN) = 5.02 TeV. The correlation functions are measured as a function of relative azimuthal angle ∆φ and pseudorapidity separation ∆η for pairs of primary charged particles within the pseudorapidity interval |η| < 0.9 and the transverse-momentum interval 1 < pT < 4 GeV/c. Flow coefficients are extracted for the long-range correlations (1.6 < |∆η| < 1.8) in various high-multiplicity event classes using the low-multiplicity template fit method. The method is used to subtract the enhanced yield of away-side jet fragments in high-multiplicity events. These results show decreasing flow signals toward lower multiplicity events. Furthermore, the flow coefficients for events with hard probes, such as jets or leading particles, do not exhibit any significant changes compared to those obtained from high-multiplicity events without any specific event selection criteria. The results are compared with hydrodynamic-model calculations, and it is found that a better understanding of the initial conditions is necessary to describe the results, particularly for low-multiplicity events.

Measurements of the pT-dependent flow vector fluctuations in Pb–Pb collisions at sNN=5.02TeV using azimuthal correlations with the ALICE experiment at the Large Hadron Collider are presented. A four-particle correlation approach [ALICE Collaboration, ] is used to quantify the effects of flow angle and magnitude fluctuations separately. This paper extends previous studies to additional centrality intervals and provides measurements of the pT-dependent flow vector fluctuations at sNN=5.02TeV with two-particle correlations. Significant pT-dependent fluctuations of the V⃗2 flow vector in Pb–Pb collisions are found across different centrality ranges, with the largest fluctuations of up to ∼15% being present in the 5% most central collisions. In parallel, no evidence of significant pT-dependent fluctuations of V⃗3 or V⃗4 is found. Additionally, evidence of flow angle and magnitude fluctuations is observed with more than 5σ significance in central collisions. These observations in Pb–Pb collisions indicate where the classical picture of hydrodynamic modeling with a common symmetry plane breaks down. This has implications for hard probes at high pT, which might be biased by pT-dependent flow angle fluctuations of at least 23% in central collisions. Given the presented results, existing theoretical models should be reexamined to improve our understanding of initial conditions, quark–gluon plasma properties, and the dynamic evolution of the created system. ©2024 CERN, for the ALICE Collaboration 2024 CERN

Lifetimes of the $15/{2}_{1}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ and 13/${2}_{1}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ levels in $^{129}\mathrm{Sn}$ have been measured using $\ensuremath{\gamma}\text{\ensuremath{-}}\ensuremath{\gamma}$ fast timing technique which come out to be 10(3) ps and 6(4) ps, respectively. The excited states were populated through internal transition decay of higher lying $\textmu{}\mathrm{s}$ isomers in $^{129}\mathrm{Sn}$ produced as fission fragments and mass separated by the Lohengrin separator at Institut Laue-Langevin. The generalized centroid difference method was applied with four ${\mathrm{LaBr}}_{3}$(Ce) detectors, placed at the focal plane of the separator. The measured lifetimes and absolute transition probabilities are discussed in the light of large scale shell model calculations to interpret the single particle configurations and their mixing.

AbstractThe first measurement of the multiplicity dependence of intra-jet properties of leading charged-particle jets in proton–proton (pp) collisions is reported. The mean charged-particle multiplicity and jet fragmentation distributions are measured in minimum-bias and high-multiplicity pp collisions at center-of-mass energy $$\sqrt{s}$$ s = 13 TeV using the ALICE detector. Jets are reconstructed from charged particles produced in the midrapidity region ($$|\eta | < 0.9$$ | η | < 0.9 ) using the sequential recombination anti-$$k_{\textrm{T}}$$ k T algorithm with jet resolution parameters R = 0.2, 0.3, and 0.4 for the transverse momentum ($$p_\textrm{T}$$ p T ) interval 5–110 GeV/c. The high-multiplicity events are selected by the forward V0 scintillator detectors. The mean charged-particle multiplicity inside the leading jet cone rises monotonically with increasing jet $$p_\textrm{T}$$ p T in qualitative agreement with previous measurements at lower energies. The distributions of jet fragmentation function variables $$z^{\textrm{ch}}$$ z ch and $$\xi ^{\textrm{ch}}$$ ξ ch are measured for different jet-$$p_\textrm{T}$$ p T intervals. Jet-$$p_\textrm{T}$$ p T independent fragmentation of leading jets is observed for wider jets except at high- and low-$$z^{\textrm{ch}}$$ z ch values. The observed “hump-backed plateau” structure in the $$\xi ^{\textrm{ch}}$$ ξ ch distribution indicates suppression of low-$$p_\textrm{T}$$ p T particles. In high-multiplicity events, an enhancement of the fragmentation probability of low-$$z^{\textrm{ch}}$$ z ch particles accompanied by a suppression of high-$$z^{\textrm{ch}}$$ z ch particles is observed compared to minimum-bias events. This behavior becomes more prominent for low-$$p_\textrm{T}$$ p T jets with larger jet radius. The results are compared with predictions of QCD-inspired event generators, PYTHIA 8 with Monash 2013 tune and EPOS LHC. It is found that PYTHIA 8 qualitatively reproduces the jet modification in high-multiplicity events except at high jet $$p_\textrm{T}$$ p T . These measurements provide important constraints to models of jet fragmentation.

The dependence of f(0)(980) production on the final-state charged-particle multiplicity in p-Pb collisions at root s(NN) = 5.02 TeV is reported. The production of f(0)(980) is measured with the ALICE detector via the f(0)(980) -> pi(+)pi(-) decay channel in a midrapidity region of -0.5 < y < 0. Particle yield ratios of f(0)(980) to pi and K*(892)(0) are found to be decreasing with increasing charged-particle multiplicity. The magnitude of the suppression of the f(0)(980)/pi and f(0)( 980)/K*(892)(0) yield ratios is found to be dependent on the transverse momentum p(T), suggesting different mechanisms responsible for the measured effects. Furthermore, the nuclear modification factor Q(pPb) of f(0)(980) is measured in various multiplicity ranges. The Q(pPb) shows a strong suppression of the f(0)(980) production in the p(T) region up to about 4 GeV/c. The results on the particle yield ratios and Q(pPb) for f(0)(980) may help to understand the late hadronic phase in p-Pb collisions and the nature of the internal structure of f(0)(980) particle.

Charged-particle jet yields have been measured in semicentral Pb–Pb collisions at center-of-mass energy per nucleon–nucleon collision sNN=5.02 TeV with the ALICE detector at the LHC. These yields are reported as a function of the jet transverse momentum, and further classified by their angle with respect to the event plane and the event shape, characterized by ellipticity, in an effort to study the path-length dependence of jet quenching. Jets were reconstructed at midrapidity from charged-particle tracks using the anti-kT algorithm with resolution parameters R = 0.2 and 0.4, with event-plane angle and event-shape values determined using information from forward scintillating detectors. The results presented in this letter show that, in semicentral Pb–Pb collisions, there is no significant difference between jet yields in predominantly isotropic and elliptical events. However, out-of-plane jets are observed to be more suppressed than in-plane jets. Further, this relative suppression is greater for low transverse momentum (< 50 GeV/c) R = 0.2 jets produced in elliptical events, with out-of-plane to in-plane jet-yield ratios varying up to 5.2σ between different event-shape classes. These results agree with previous studies indicating that jets experience azimuthally anisotropic suppression when traversing the QGP medium, and can provide additional constraints on the path-length dependence of jet energy loss.

The first measurements of femtoscopic correlations with the particle pair combinations pi +/- K-S(0) in pp collisions at root s = 13 TeV at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) are reported by the ALICE experiment. Using the femtoscopic approach, it is shown that it is possible to study the elusive K-0*(700) particle that has been considered a tetraquark candidate for over forty years. Source and final-state interaction parameters are extracted by fitting a model assuming a Gaussian source to the experimentally measured two-particle correlation functions. The final-state interaction in the pi +/- K-S(0) system is modeled through a resonant scattering amplitude, defined in terms of a mass and a coupling parameter, The extracted mass and Breit-Wigner width, derived from the coupling parameter, of the final-state interaction are found to be consistent with previous measurements of the K-0*(700). The small value and increase of the correlation strength with increasing source size support the hypothesis that the K-0*(700) is a four-quark state, i.e. a tetraquark state of the form (q(1), (q(2)) over bar, q(3), (q(3)) over bar) in which q(1), q(2) and q(3) indicate the flavor of the valence quarks of the pi and K-S(0). This latter trend is also confirmed via a simple geometric model that assumes a tetraquark structure of the K-0*(700) resonance.

The production yields of the Σ(1385)± and Ξ(1530)0 resonances are measured in pp collisions at √(s) = 13 TeV with ALICE. The measurements are performed as a function of the charged-particle multiplicity ⟨dNch/dη⟩, which is related to the energy density produced in the collision. The results include transverse momentum (pT) distributions, pT-integrated yields, mean transverse momenta of Σ(1385)± and Ξ(1530)0, as well as ratios of the pT-integrated resonance yields relative to yields of other hadron species. The Σ(1385)±/π± and Ξ(1530)0/π± yield ratios are consistent with the trend of the enhancement of strangeness production from low to high multiplicity pp collisions, which was previously observed for strange and multi-strange baryons. The yield ratio between the measured resonances and the long-lived baryons with the same strangeness content exhibits a hint of a mild increasing trend at low multiplicity, despite too large uncertainties to exclude the flat behaviour. The results are compared with predictions from models such as EPOS-LHC and PYTHIA 8 with Rope shoving. The latter provides the best description of the multiplicity dependence of the Σ(1385)± and Ξ(1530)0 production in pp collisions at √(s) = 13 TeV.

The production of the ψ(2S) charmonium state was measured with ALICE in Pb-Pb collisions at sqrt[s_{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 ψ(2S) and J/ψ resonances is reported as a function of the centrality of the collisions and of transverse momentum, in the region p_{T}<12  GeV/c. The results are compared with the corresponding measurements in pp collisions, by forming the double ratio [σ^{ψ(2S)}/σ^{J/ψ}]_{Pb-Pb}/[σ^{ψ(2S)}/σ^{J/ψ}]_{pp}. It is found that in Pb-Pb collisions the ψ(2S) is suppressed by a factor of ∼2 with respect to the J/ψ. The ψ(2S) nuclear modification factor R_{AA} was also obtained as a function of both centrality and p_{T}. The results show that the ψ(2S) resonance yield is strongly suppressed in Pb-Pb collisions, by a factor of up to ∼3 with respect to pp. Comparisons of cross section ratios with previous Super Proton Synchrotron findings by the NA50 experiment and of R_{AA} with higher-p_{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.

K+K- pairs may be produced in photonuclear collisions, either from the decays of photoproduced phi(1020) mesons or directly as nonresonant K+K- pairs. Measurements of K+K- photoproduction probe the couplings between the phi(1020) and charged kaons with photons and nuclear targets. The kaon-proton scattering occurs at energies far above those available elsewhere. We present the first measurement of coherent photoproduction of K+K- pairs on lead ions in ultraperipheral collisions using the ALICE detector, including the first investigation of direct K+K- production. There is significant KthornK- production at low transverse momentum, consistent with coherent photoproduction on lead targets. In the mass range 1.1 < M-KK < 1.4 GeV=c(2) above the phi(1020) resonance, for rapidity vertical bar y(KK)vertical bar < 0.8 and p(T,) (KK) < 0.1 GeV/c, the measured coherent photoproduction cross section is d sigma=dy = 3.37 +/- 0.61 (stat) +/- 0.15(syst) mb. The center-of-mass energy per nucleon of the photon-nucleus (Pb) systemW(gamma Pb,n) ranges from 33 to 188 GeV, far higher than previous measurements on heavy-nucleus targets. The cross section is larger than expected for phi(1020) photoproduction alone. The mass spectrum is fit to a cocktail consisting of phi (1020) decays, direct K+K- photoproduction, and interference between the two. The confidence regions for the amplitude and relative phase angle for direct K+K- photoproduction are presented.

Abstract Results on the transverse spherocity dependence of light-flavor particle production (π, K, p, ϕ, K*0, $$ {\textrm{K}}_{\textrm{S}}^0 $$ K S 0 , Λ, Ξ) at midrapidity in high-multiplicity pp collisions at $$ \sqrt{s} $$ s = 13 TeV were obtained with the ALICE apparatus. The transverse spherocity estimator $$ \left({S}_{\textrm{O}}^{p_{\textrm{T}}=1}\right) $$ S O p T = 1 categorizes events by their azimuthal topology. Utilizing narrow selections on $$ {S}_{\textrm{O}}^{p_{\textrm{T}}=1} $$ S O p T = 1 , it is possible to contrast particle production in collisions dominated by many soft initial interactions with that observed in collisions dominated by one or more hard scatterings. Results are reported for two multiplicity estimators covering different pseudorapidity regions. The $$ {S}_{\textrm{O}}^{p_{\textrm{T}}=1} $$ S O p T = 1 estimator is found to effectively constrain the hardness of the events when the midrapidity (|η| < 0.8) estimator is used.The production rates of strange particles are found to be slightly higher for soft isotropic topologies, and severely suppressed in hard jet-like topologies. These effects are more pronounced for hadrons with larger mass and strangeness content, and observed when the topological selection is done within a narrow multiplicity interval. This demonstrates that an important aspect of the universal scaling of strangeness enhancement with final-state multiplicity is that high-multiplicity collisions are dominated by soft, isotropic processes. On the contrary, strangeness production in events with jet-like processes is significantly reduced.The results presented in this article are compared with several QCD-inspired Monte Carlo event generators. Models that incorporate a two-component phenomenology, either through mechanisms accounting for string density, or thermal production, are able to describe the observed strangeness enhancement as a function of $$ {S}_{\textrm{O}}^{p_{\textrm{T}}=1} $$ S O p T = 1 .

The first measurements of $\mathrm{K^{*}(892)^{0}}$ resonance production as a function of charged-particle multiplicity in Xe$-$Xe collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}}=$ 5.44 TeV and pp collisions at $\sqrt{s}=$ 5.02 TeV using the ALICE detector are presented. The resonance is reconstructed at midrapidity ($|y|<0.5$) using the hadronic decay channel $\mathrm{K^{*0}} \rightarrow \mathrm{K^{\pm} \pi^{\mp}}$. Measurements of transverse-momentum integrated yield, mean transverse-momentum, nuclear modification factor of $\mathrm{K^{*0}}$, and yield ratios of resonance to stable hadron ($\mathrm{K^{*0}}$/K) are compared across different collision systems (pp, p$-$Pb, Xe$-$Xe, and Pb$-$Pb) at similar collision energies to investigate how the production of $\mathrm{K^{*0}}$ resonances depends on the size of the system formed in these collisions. The hadronic rescattering effect is found to be independent of the size of colliding systems and mainly driven by the produced charged-particle multiplicity, which is a proxy of the volume of produced matter at the chemical freeze-out. In addition, the production yields of $\mathrm{K^{*0}}$ in Xe$-$Xe collisions are utilized to constrain the dependence of the kinetic freeze-out temperature on the system size using HRG-PCE model.