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Foreword
ing of the motion by formulating the time-dependent picture, rather than solving the
time-independent Schrödinger equation and subsequently constructing a temporal
picture. Analytical theory has been advanced, using time-ordered density matrices,
to enable the design of multidimensional spectroscopy, the analogue of 2-D (and
higher) NMR spectroscopy. The coupling between theory and experiment is evident
in many of the papers in this special volume.
On the technical side, the development of direct microscopy imaging methods
for visualization of dynamics and the generation of attosecond pulses for mapping
electronic processes have resulted in new frontiers of research. And, the ability to
design shaped and sequenced pulses to control processes of interest is stimulating
numerous theoretical studies in the field. Ultrafast science is continuing in many
disciplines because of the fundamental nature of the time and length scales involved.
The science should be attractive to future generations of young scientists.
This volume “Ultrafast Phenomena in Molecular Sciences” edited by Rebeca
de Nalda and Luis Bañares is a welcome addition to the field, especially for its
emphasis on the “latest” in ultrafast molecuar science and the scope of applications
possible.
Ahmed Zewail
Pasadena, CA, USA