Abstract: Production of mesons in proton-lead collisions at a nucleon-nucleon centre-of-mass energy = 5 TeV is studied with the LHCb detector. The analysis is based on a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.6 nb(-1). The mesons of transverse momenta up to 15 GeV/c are reconstructed in the dimuon decay mode. The rapidity coverage in the centre-of-mass system is 1.5 < y < 4.0 (forward region) and -5.0 < y < -2.5 (backward region). The forward-backward production ratio and the nuclear modification factor for (1S) mesons are determined. The data are compatible with the predictions for a suppression of (1S) production with respect to proton-proton collisions in the forward region, and an enhancement in the backward region. The suppression is found to be smaller than in the case of prompt J/psi mesons.

Abstract: A study is presented of central exclusive production of gamma(n S) states, where the gamma (n S) resonances decay to the mu(+) mu(-) final state, using p p collision data recorded by the LHCb experiment. The cross-section is measured in the rapidity range 2 < y (gamma) < 4.5 where the muons are reconstructed in the pseudorapidity range 2 < eta (mu(+/-)) < 4.5. The data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 2.9 fb(-1) and was collected at centreof- mass energies of 7TeV and 8TeV. The measured gamma(1 S) and gamma(2 S) production crosssections are sigma(pp -> p gamma(1S)p) = 9.0 +/- 1.7 pb and sigma(pp -> p gamma(2S)p) = 1.3 +/- 0.3 pb, where the first uncertainties are statistical and the second are systematic. The gamma (1S) cross-section is also measured as a function of rapidity and is found to be in good agreement with Standard Model predictions. An upper limit is set at 3.4 pb at the 95% confidence level for the exclusive gamma(3 S) production cross-section, including possible contamination from chi b (3P) -> gamma (3S)gamma decays.

Abstract: The MoEDAL experiment is designed to search for magnetic monopoles and other highly-ionising particles produced in high-energy collisions at the LHC. The largely passive MoEDAL detector, deployed at Interaction Point 8 on the LHC ring, relies on two dedicated direct detection techniques. The first technique is based on stacks of nuclear-track detectors with surface area similar to 18 m(2), sensitive to particle ionisation exceeding a high threshold. These detectors are analysed offline by optical scanning microscopes. The second technique is based on the trapping of charged particles in an array of roughly 800 kg of aluminium samples. These samples are monitored offline for the presence of trapped magnetic charge at a remote superconducting magnetometer facility. We present here the results of a search for magnetic monopoles using a 160 kg prototype MoEDAL trapping detector exposed to 8TeV proton-proton collisions at the LHC, for an integrated luminosity of 0.75 fb(-1). No magnetic charge exceeding 0.5g(D) (where g(D) is the Dirac magnetic charge) is measured in any of the exposed samples, allowing limits to be placed on monopole production in the mass range 100 GeV <= m <= 3500 GeV. Model-independent cross-section limits are presented in fiducial regions of monopole energy and direction for 1g(D) <= vertical bar g vertical bar <= 6g(D), and model-dependent cross-section limits are obtained for Drell-Yan pair production of spin-1/2 and spin-0 monopoles for 1g(D) <= vertical bar g vertical bar <= 4g(D). Under the assumption of Drell-Yan cross sections, mass limits are derived for vertical bar g vertical bar = 2g(D) and vertical bar g vertical bar = 3g(D) for the first time at the LHC, surpassing the results from previous collider experiments.