Foreword: Ultrafast Phenomena in condensed matter physics

Abstract

Matter is dynamic and changes under the effect of various external constraints, in particular light. The development of ultra-fast techniques now makes it possible to study the elementary mechanisms of ultrafast photoinduced phenomena, in particular by following the dynamics of electronic and structural degrees of freedom of matter. These studies provide a better understanding of these non-equilibrium processes in order to control the physical properties of molecules and materials by light. In this introductory article we discuss different aspects of studying ultra-fast condensedmatter phenomena.