Overview of Proton-Proton Physics during Run 2

An overview of the main LHC proton-proton program at 6.5 TeV beam energy during Run 2 is presented. The paper summarizes the highlights and the limitations during each year from 2015 to 2018. It presents the strategy followed to achieve the initial luminosity goals while incorporating some of the features expected for High Luminosity LHC scenarios such as luminosity levelling, combined ramp and squeeze, Achromatic Telescopic Squeeze (ATS) optics, highbrightness and low e-cloud beams. The global performance of the machine in terms of beam losses, orbit stability and beam lifetime is also discussed.