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The pT-differential production cross sections of prompt and non-prompt (produced in beauty-hadron decays) D mesons were measured by the ALICE experiment at midrapidity (|y|< 0.5) in proton-proton collisions at $$ \sqrt{s} $$ s = 5.02 TeV. The data sample used in the analysis corresponds to an integrated luminosity of (19.3 ± 0.4) nb−1. D mesons were reconstructed from their decays D0→ K−π+, D+→ K−π+π+, and $$ {\mathrm{D}}_{\mathrm{s}}^{+}\to \upphi {\uppi}^{+}\to {\mathrm{K}}^{-}{\mathrm{K}}^{+}{\uppi}^{+} $$ D s + → ϕ π + → K − K + π + and their charge conjugates. Compared to previous measurements in the same rapidity region, the cross sections of prompt D+ and $$ {\mathrm{D}}_{\mathrm{s}}^{+} $$ D s + mesons have an extended pT coverage and total uncertainties reduced by a factor ranging from 1.05 to 1.6, depending on pT, allowing for a more precise determination of their pT-integrated cross sections. The results are well described by perturbative QCD calculations. The fragmentation fraction of heavy quarks to strange mesons divided by the one to non-strange mesons, fs/(fu + fd), is compatible for charm and beauty quarks and with previous measurements at different centre-of-mass energies and collision systems. The $$ \mathrm{b}\overline{\mathrm{b}} $$ b b ¯ production cross section per rapidity unit at midrapidity, estimated from non-prompt D-meson measurements, is $$ \mathrm{d}{\sigma}_{\mathrm{b}\overline{\mathrm{b}}}/\mathrm{d}y\left|{}_{\left|\mathrm{y}\right|<0.5}=34.5\pm 2.4{\left(\mathrm{stat}\right)}_{-2.9}^{+4.7}\left(\mathrm{tot}.\mathrm{syst}\right)\right. $$ d σ b b ¯ / d y y < 0.5 = 34.5 ± 2.4 stat − 2.9 + 4.7 tot . syst μb. It is compatible with previous measurements at the same centre-of-mass energy and with the cross section pre- dicted by perturbative QCD calculations.

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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.

The production of prompt D0, D+, and D*+ mesons was measured at midrapidity (|y| < 0.5) in Pb–Pb collisions at the centre-of-mass energy per nucleon–nucleon pair $$ \sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}} $$ s NN = 5.02 TeV with the ALICE detector at the LHC. The D mesons were reconstructed via their hadronic decay channels and their production yields were measured in central (0–10%) and semicentral (30–50%) collisions. The measurement was performed up to a transverse momentum (pT) of 36 or 50 GeV/c depending on the D meson species and the centrality interval. For the first time in Pb–Pb collisions at the LHC, the yield of D0 mesons was measured down to pT = 0, which allowed a model-independent determination of the pT-integrated yield per unit of rapidity (dN/dy). A maximum suppression by a factor 5 and 2.5 was observed with the nuclear modification factor (RAA) of prompt D mesons at pT = 6–8 GeV/c for the 0–10% and 30–50% centrality classes, respectively. The D-meson RAA is compared with that of charged pions, charged hadrons, and J/ψ mesons as well as with theoretical predictions. The analysis of the agreement between the measured RAA, elliptic (v2) and triangular (v3) flow, and the model predictions allowed us to constrain the charm spatial diffusion coefficient Ds. Furthermore the comparison of RAA and v2 with different implementations of the same models provides an important insight into the role of radiative energy loss as well as charm quark recombination in the hadronisation mechanisms.