AbstractThe 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.
KSΛ PHOTOPRODUCTION ON THE NEUTRON WITHIN THE RESONANCE REGION