The primary goal of this text book is to ensure that any physical science student, even one who has never heard of the subject, should be able to learn what ultrafast spectroscopy is, why optics related to the subject requires special attention, how to use the basic ideas of the subject in laboratory-based ultrafast spectroscopy experiments, how to interpret the experimental observations and so on. This book gives a more than adequate introduction to mathematical representation of an ultrafast pulse, chirp, time-band width product, nonlinear optical effects, dispersion effects, construction of ultrafast laser, ultrafast measurement techniques and different ultrafast processes of chemical interest.

This volume is a collection of papers presented at the Ninth International Symposium on "Ultrafast Processes in Spectroscopy" (UPS '95) held at the International Centre for Theo retical Physics (ICTP), Trieste (Italy), October 30 -November 3, 1995. These meetings have become recognized as the major forum in Europe for discussion of new work in this rapidly moving field. The UPS'95 Conference in Trieste brought together a multidisciplinary group of researchers sharing common interests in the generation of ultrashort optical pulses and their application to studies of ultrafast phenomena in physics, chemistry, material science, electronics, and biology. It was attended by approximately 250 participants from 20 countries and the five-day program comprises more than 200 papers. The progress of both technology and applications in the field of ultrafast processes during these last years is truly remarkable. The advent of all solid state femtosecond lasers and the extension of laser wavelengths by frequency conversion techniques provide a large variety of high-performance light sources for ultrashort pulses. With these sources ultrafast phenomena in physical, chemical and biological systems and in electronic de vi(:es are now studied extensively. Ultrafast technology is becoming one of the basic and common tools presently entering a wide variety of scientific fields not only for basic re search but also for promoting new applications in various areas. We feel that these pro ceedings vividly reflect the present status of the field.

Introduction to Laser Spectroscopy is a well-written, easy-to-read guide to understanding the fundamentals of lasers, experimental methods of modern laser spectroscopy and applications. It provides a solid grounding in the fundamentals of many aspects of laser physics, nonlinear optics, and molecular spectroscopy. In addition, by comprehensively combining theory and experimental techniques it explicates a variety of issues that are essential to understanding broad areas of physical, chemical and biological science. Topics include key laser types - gas, solid state, and semiconductor - as well as the rapidly evolving field of ultrashort laser phenomena for femtochemistry applications. The examples used are well researched and clearly presented. Introduction to Laser Spectroscopy is strongly recommended to newcomers as well as researchers in physics, engineering, chemistry and biology.* A comprehensive course that combines theory and practice* Includes a systematic and comprehensive description for key laser types* Written for students and professionals looking to gain a thorough understanding of modern laser spectroscopy

This book presents the latest advances in ultrafast science, including ultrafast laser and measurement technology, and studies of ultrafast phenomena. It summarizes the results presented at the 12th Ultrafast Phenomena Conference and reviews the state of the art of this important and rapidly advancing field.

The embryonic development of femtoscience stems from advances made in the generation of ultrashort laser pulses. Beginning with mode-locking of glass lasers in the 1960s, the development of dye lasers brought the pulse width down from picoseconds to femtoseconds. The breakthrough in solid state laser pulse generation provided the current reliable table-top laser systems capable of average power of about 1 watt, and peak power density of easily watts per square centimeter, with pulse widths in the range of four to eight femtoseconds. Pulses with peak power density reaching watts per square centimeter have been achieved in laboratory settings and, more recently, pulses of sub-femtosecond duration have been successfully generated. As concepts and methodologies have evolved over the past two decades, the realm of ultrafast science has become vast and exciting and has impacted many areas of chemistry, biology and physics, and other fields such as materials science, electrical engineering, and optical communication. In molecular science the explosive growth of this research is for fundamental reasons. In femtochemistry and femtobiology chemical bonds form and break on the femtosecond time scale, and on this scale of time we can freeze the transition states at configurations never before seen. Even for n- reactive physical changes one is observing the most elementary of molecular processes. On a time scale shorter than the vibrational and rotational periods the ensemble behaves coherently as a single-molecule trajectory.

This volume is a collection of papers presented at the Fifteenth International Conference on Ultrafast Phenomena held at the Asilomar Conference Grounds, Pacifc Grove, CA, USA, from July 31 – August 4, 2006. The Ultrafast P- nomena conferences are held every two years and provide a forum for disc- sion of the latest results in ultrafast optics and their applications in science and engineering. These meetings bring together researchers spanning several felds of science and engineering to discuss and debate the latest advances in ult- fast science. This unique forum provides a conduit for the greater dissemi- tion of the latest advances using ultrashort coherent pulses of light. More than 280 papers were presented. Signifcant progress in creating ever shorter pulses of light was reported in the attosecond range, with new applications in high harmonic generation and frequency comb metrology. Multidimensional sp- troscopy is rapidly evolving to provide new insights into quantum coherence and interactions in complex systems. Improvements in time resolved electron and x-ray diffraction provide better atomic scale perspectives on structural dynamics. These examples are but a small subset of the collected works ga- ered in this volume, which provides a valuable synopsis of the recent advances and impact of ultrafast technology in illuminating fundamental processes in physics, chemistry, and biology. There were 323 attendees at the meeting, more than one third of which were graduate and postdoctoral students. Increased s- dent attendance energized the proceedings.

The papers in this volume cover the major areas of research activity in the field of ultrafast optics at the present time, and they have been selected to provide an overview of the current state of the art. The purview of the field is the methods for the generation, amplification, and characterization of electromagnetic pulses with durations from the pieo-to the attosecond range, as well as the technical issues surrounding the application of these pulses in physics, chemistry, and biology. The contributions were solicited from the participants in the Ultrafast Optics IV Conference, held in Vienna, Austria, in June 2003. The purpose of the conference is similar to that of this book: to provide a forum for the latest advances in ultrafast optical technology. Ultrafast light sources provide a means to observe and manipulate events on the scale of atomic and molecular dynamics. This is possible either through appropriate shaping of the time-dependent electrie field, or through the ap plication of fields whose strength is comparable to the binding forces of the electrons in atoms and molecules. Recent advances discussed here include the generation of pulses shorter than two optical cycles, and the ability to measure and to shape them in all degrees of freedom with unprecedented 2 21 2 precision, and to amplify them to the Zettawatt/cm (10 W /cm ) range.

This volume contains papers presented at the Ninth International Conference on Ultrafast Phenomena held at Dana Point, CA, USA, from May 2 to 6, 1994. The biannual Ultrafast Phenomena Conferences provide a forum for discussion of the latest advances in ultrafast optics and applications in science and engineering. The vitality and excitement of the various disciplines sharing common interest in ultrafast phenomena were well represented at the meeting by the 438 participants from 18 countries, including 98 students. Cross-fertilization of ultrafast concepts and techniques among the various scientific and engineering disciplines continues to be the primary driving force behind this successful meeting. Progress was reported in the technology of generating ultrafast pulses, includ ing extensions in pulse width, output power, wavelength range, and intensity. Ultrafast spectroscopy continues to impact and expand the knowledge base of fundamental processes in physics, chemistry, biology, and engineering. A new series of lively, late-night panel discussions were introduced at this meeting, re flecting the maturing of the field into applications, while at the same time keeping a strong interest in fundamentals. Acknowledgements. Many people and organizations contributed to the success of this meeting. The members of the program committee deserve special thanks for reviewing all the papers and organizing the final program. The staff of the Opti cal Society of America very expertly took care of the conference arrangements.