An Ultrashort History of Ultrafast Imaging

Explore the fascinating world of ultrafast imaging in this comprehensive conference talk. Delve into the realm of femtosecond timescales, where light travels the diameter of a human hair, and discover how scientists capture and control the most fundamental processes in atomic and molecular physics, chemistry, and biology. Learn about the challenges of investigating ultrafast processes, the development of ultrashort light pulses, and their applications in spectroscopy and diffraction. Examine the use of powerful x-ray free-electron lasers and laboratory-based light sources for generating ultrafast movies. Gain insights into controlling ultrafast motion with tailored light pulses and the potential for triggering previously inaccessible chemical reactions. Journey through the rapidly developing field of ultrafast science, exploring main findings, imaging techniques, and the generation of ultrashort pulses. Conclude with an outlook on controlling ultrafast dynamics with light pulses and the future goal of hacking chemical reactions.